Our Time Together
by Hydriatus
Summary: Last time he was here, things got rather out of hand, but hey, it can't happen again, right? OC fic
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I don't know why, I just felt the urge. This month is the anniversary of my first ever fic on this site, Time is Everything. So in the end, this is only fitting. To all the people who read, reviewed and criticised it (mk1 as you all know it now), this is for you. _

_Disclaimer: I only own Luke Mason. Everything else is Ken Akamatsu's_.

**Our Time Together**

Chapter One: Here we go again…

Mahora, place of mystery and magic for those who know its true identity, a hell on earth for others, and for most an enjoyable place to spend one's youth. It is, truth be told, a beautiful place. A dream campus, with its own nature reserve, city and associated facilities. To truly enjoy the scope of the place one must climb one of the peaks in the wilderness, preferably before dawn. This allowed the sunrise to illuminate the vista, making it appear like an artist's masterpiece.

It was a view Kaede Nagase fully appreciated as she breathed in the morning air, moving slowly and gracefully through a routine of morning stretches to prepare her for the day to come. She often came to these heights during her hikes and outings, enjoying the peacefulness of nature which now surrounded her. And the view was definitively an added bonus. It was almost romantic. The ninja smiled at the thought. She doubted her classmates would ever believe the notion of her having thoughts of romance. To them, she was a dedicated kunoichi, focusing on her training and little else. To be honest, that was partially true. She was the Blue Baka ranger after all, never truly having engaged with her academic studies as much as with her training.

She finished her stretches and smiled softly as the sun rose above the horizon, heralding a new day. In the end, 3A was right. She never really thought about romance or relationships. Her life didn't leave a lot of time or opportunity for such matters. When it came to members of the opposite sex, the only person she encountered on a regular basis who was anywhere near her age was her little teacher. Whilst she did agree to the consensus that he was cute, she never displayed any outward affection towards him. And why should she? He was only ten after all. But there was no doubt in her mind that he would one day grow into a fine man, one whom she knew she could fall for. Yet that was some time off, and his feelings were evident for all to see. He and Nodoka made a fine couple, everyone could see that.

But Kaede wasn't jealous. She simply accepted it like everything in her life. Why worry about it? She didn't have any feelings for him and he for her, end of story. Yet as she picked up her bag she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a proper relationship. It couldn't be any harder than the demon hunting she did for a job, or the hikes she did for fun. Then again, she supposed she couldn't judge, seeing as her experience in matters of the heart wasn't exactly top notch. The ninja just shrugged and began to descend from the mountain, smiling all the time. She couldn't do anything about it, so why worry?

What she could do, was get back to her dorm and get ready for class. The girl began to hum to herself quietly as she picked up her pace and flowed amongst the morning shadows towards what has been her home for the past couple of years.

* * *

Mahora, a place where people grew and learned new things. About life, about themselves. Such was its value to Negi Springfield. Having spent almost a year there already, he knew a lot more about himself and his place in the world. He was a mage; he was expected to aid those in need and to protect those who required protection.

He was a teacher, and had a duty to keep those he was responsible for away from danger and ensure their education progressed efficiently. And as a gentleman, he was bound to keep his promises, to find his father, to excel in his tasks, to uphold the Springfield name.

So far it seemed to be turning out pretty well. His studies of magic continued, as did his knowledge of other aspects of life. Being the object of about thirty girls' affections probably had something to do with that. The fact a couple weren't human, or were far from ordinary also accelerated his curriculum. In the end, it all made him stronger, he could feel that. He knew it. His recent battles were proof of that. Kyoto, the Wilhelm incident, they all showed him becoming stronger. Stronger in the name of his father.

Not that it was easy growing stronger, as his aching muscles proved. He was currently staring straight at the sky, flat on his back in the middle of the World Tree Plaza. He blinked, trying to lose the twirling feeling in his head as someone loomed over him, a sheepish smile on their face.

"Sorry Negi-bozu," apologized Ku Fei, his student and teacher in her heavily accented Japanese. She leaned down and helped him to his feet, smiling nervously.

"It's ok Master Ku," replied Negi, bowing slightly in the proper manner. "I am thankful you are not taking it easy on me," he added with a smile to reassure the girl. All it did of course was make her fumble for words before turning away embarrassed. Negi was taken aback for a second before Asuna's hand fell on his shoulder.

"Alright Negi-kun, it's time to go, we're gonna be late at this rate," nodded his roommate slightly, her bell-like hair decorations chiming as she did so. Her breathing was also irregular, having finished a sparring session with Setsuna a short while before.

"Indeed. Lessons begin in about two hours. We should hurry back and change," advised the half demon.

The ten year old boy nodded in agreement and turned back to the Chinese girl, clasping his hands together as he bowed lower than before. "Thank you for today, Master," he said sincerely. Ku Fei turned to look at him with her usual cheerful face and nodded. "But we best be going now," he added.

"I also," replied the yellow Baka ranger, walking past him, heading back to the dorms. "We can no be late, right?"

"Of course," smiled the young professor, going after her with Asuna and Setsuna in tow.

* * *

Stepping outside, the youth glanced at his watch and smiled. He was on time, for once. It made a nice change. He pocketed the time piece and walked down the stone steps into Mahora campus, relishing this moment. After what seemed like a year, but in truth was…well, he had no idea how long but it was definitively a long time, he was back where he belonged.

The day seemed to share his joy, being an idyllic one. The sun was bright, the air fresh and not a cloud was in the sky. It may not have been quiet and peaceful, but then again what city was? In the end he did not care. This was his home, and he loved every part of it, from the hustling crowds, to the chirping birds, to the blaring horn of a car coming his way…No, wait a minute…

"JESUS!" he swore in panic, hurling himself forward out of the path of the vehicle and onto the sidewalk. He banged his knee hard on the stone surface, but it was far preferable to being reduced to a smear on the road. There was a screech of tires and the smell of burnt rubber filled his nostrils. The blonde boy glanced back at the vehicle, a dodge viper, and noted with slight detachment that it wouldn't be much of a shameful death to be struck by one of those. He'd die, true, but what a way to go!

Of course, that train of thought was brought to a crashing halt when the driver stepped out and walked over to him, his face a blank mask.

_Oh boy..._

"Are you alright?" asked the man, kneeling down to his level. The youth exhaled in relief when he recognized the grizzled face, complete with glasses and a cigarette.

"Yes Sir. Sorry about that…" he replied, picking himself up from the floor and dusting himself off. "My fault for standing in the road like that."

The man stood up and nodded gravely. "You should be more careful from now on."

The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I sure will Takahata-sensei!"

The teacher's mouth quirked upwards at the youth's jubilant mood, despite his brief brush with death. "I haven't seen you in any of my classes. Are you new here then?" he suddenly said, looking closely at the boy in front of him.

"Ah…er, well, that is…" stammered the teen, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic.

"Ah, I understand," said the elder man, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I was a bit of a delinquent once myself, but you shouldn't skip classes, ok?"

"Erm…ok…" replied the blonde in slight confusion.

"Good, now run back to class," smiled Takahata, taking a pull on his cigarette as he turned around and headed back to his car.

"Yes sir…" murmured the boy.

"Oh, and what is your name? I'm afraid I don't recognize you," called Takahata over his shoulder.

The blonde teen cracked a smile as if the teacher had just told a brilliant joke. "I'd be surprised if anyone did sir. My name is Luke Mason."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Yes. I'll be tryng to update each day. _

_Nederbird: Red Alert rocks. Hope for 3..._

_Kafka: Erm...yeah, right. _

_Gale: Happy ending? Hmm..._

_Watch: You can only wait and hope. _

Chapter Two: Get Away And Come Back

In a class of over thirty girls, certain topics of conversation became prevalent. Fashion, music, movies, that sort of stuff. Throw into the mix some anything but average girls and then there's also fighting styles, weaponry, martial arts, demons, dark rituals and rumours of an epic nature.

Oh yeah, and relationships also figured in some way or another, but in comparison to all that has already been mentioned, probably not as interesting. Well, to the not-so-normal girls at least.

"Hey Mana-san, how's it been going between you and that guy you're dating?"

Ah screw it…

The gunslinger turned her head slightly at the speaker, one of the infamous Cheerleaders of Mahora, one Sakurako Shiina. Her classmate was leaning on the edge of her desk, grinning mischievously at her. Expressionlessly, Mana simply looked away, much to the Cheerleader's disappointment.

"Aw come on, we all know you're going out with that guy from the triathlon club, I'm just curious to see how it's going between you two," continued Sakurako, eager for information. The sniper continued her silence, ignoring the cheerleader. The short haired girl deflated slightly before looking around the class for someone else to quiz, her eyes settling on another of the class' reserved types. "Kaede-san, how about you? Got a secret boyfriend none of us know about?" she joked.

"Nothing like that," replied Kaede with her usual smile, calmly sitting at her desk. However, there must've been something in her voice as Sakurako's ears pricked up.

"But?" she asked slyly, sidling up next to her, leaning in eagerly.

The ninja blinked at the cheerleader before shaking her head negative again. "But nothing. There's nothing to say, de gozaru," she answered honestly, but it didn't deter the gambling girl next to her.

"Is it unrequited love? Loneliness? Perhaps too much competition for the guy you like? Doesn't he notice you? Or have you had a secret break-up with a friend no one else knew about?" offered Sakurako excitedly whilst managing to keep her voice down. Not that she really had to. The class was bustling with activity as the bell had not rung yet, though it was due any moment now. 3A had separated into their usual groups for discussion and gossiping around the room, and the level of noise was at such a level where eavesdropping was not an issue.

"No, I'm fine. Nothing like that has happened de gozaru, really," answered Kaede, slightly taken aback by the cheerleader's suggestions. She'd never experienced such issues in her life, and wasn't exactly eager to rectify that. Though then again, Sakurako wasn't very far off the mark as to what really was bothering her either. The Blue Baka Ranger supposed that it could be boiled down to relationship issues, or rather, curiosity regarding them. Even Mana, one of, to be honest, frigid girls around, had managed to find someone.

Kaede shook of that train of thought. Such things happened in their own time, and there was no sense in rushing. It would do her good to get away for a day or two actually…perhaps a hike into the mountains to clear her head would be in order?

* * *

Near the back of the class, Chisame Hasegawa was having thoughts far removed from those of the other recluses. Mostly in that she was regarding the rest of her class with a familiar mixture of horror, disgust and exasperation. They were all freaks, the lot of them. Even more so now that she knew about magic. Ghosts, vampires, robots? She was sure none of the other classes had such a varied collection of weirdoes.

She could feel a headache coming on already, and gritted her teeth in frustration. _No, not so early in the morning. Gah, I could've stayed back at the dorm and updated my site._ This class was playing havoc with her health. And don't get her started on her teacher. A ten year old mage. Who the hell came up with the idea of making him teach 30 teenage girls?! It was insane!

She rubbed her temples furiously, trying not to explode. This Academy was just plain strange. Fair enough, she wasn't a normal girl either, being a net idol and all, but it was more normal than most of her class. Chisame looked up at the empty teacher's desk and briefly considered skipping class in order to update her internet security. Some random virus had been flying around the net lately, totally obliterating any information it came across. Should it hit her site…

The girl known not only as Chisame, but also as Chiu, shuddered at the thought. Her reputation, her ratings, all gone like morning mist. She couldn't allow that! Resolve set in stone, she gathered her belongings and stood up. No sense in wasting time. This class always made her feel ill anyway, she wouldn't miss anything important.

* * *

Negi stood outside the door leading to his classroom, enjoying the few moments of peace and quiet he was going to have for the next half a day. Normally Chamo would have been with him, but lately the ermine had realized that his panty raids would have a far higher success rate if carried out whilst the girls were in class.

He could hear the girls on the other side on the other side of the door, chattering without a care in the world. It was the sound of regular life, and he welcomed it. Lately, his life had been anything but regular. The whole Mahorafest incident…

Negi shook his head and sighed. He was too young for those sorts of things. Yet his assignment was to be a teacher, and to protect his students to the best of his abilities. And he had no intention to fail. He would become a full mage, no matter what. And once this day was done, he'd be able to go and check out that magical antiques store that Chamo had found for him in Mahora.

He reached out to slide open the door but it moved before he could touch it, revealing one of his partners, Chisame. The boy took a step back in surprise, allowing the girl to walk past without a word. Quickly gathering his wits, he called out to her. "Chisame-san, are you feeling unwell again?"

"Yes sensei," she answered simply before marching off, leaving him behind. Negi watched her go before taking a deep breath and entering his class.

* * *

"So let me reiterate," began Dean Konoe, eyeing the youth in front of him in interest. Takahata had brought him in after nearly splattering him all over the road before the Train Station. "You, a capable and talented young man, are not here at Mahora Academy to study?"

The young man in question fidgeted slightly in the chair he was sitting in. "Well, in a word, yes sir," he answered sheepishly, looking anywhere but at the old man.

The dean continued to look at the boy evenly before nodding to himself. "I see. Well, that is fair enough, our campus is not to everybody's tastes. In that case, allow me to ask, why are you here?"

_And cue the interrogation_ thought the blonde with a small smile. Just like last time. Out loud, he simply said, "Sir, I was planning to settle down here actually. Find work, an apartment, and…I really haven't thought any further than that…"

Dean Konoe's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hmm, given up on further education?" he queried. "You have potential, it is plain to see."

"Sir, please. I have been travelling for a long time, and learnt a lot. I think that going back to school now would be simply too…alien, I think is the right word. It's been a long time, so I prefer to just go ahead with my life, if that is alright?" explained the boy, Luke his name was, remembered the Dean.

"Hmmm, it is not unheard of for younglings to go into the world. If you believe this is the best course for you, then I recommend you pursue it with no reservations," said the dean finally, smiling.

The blonde boy blinked before grinning broadly. "Thank you sir!" he said. The dean acknowledged the thanks with a nod and waved the boy out of his office politely. The youth immediately stood up, bowed and departed, leaving the old man to his thoughts.

_Youth today is becoming so independent….most interesting. A curious child I must admit. _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Onward and forward, though school's starting..._

_DDD: So no spelling or grammar error struck you?_

_Midnight: Who knows how it'll play out..._

Chapter Three: Change of Memories

The day was drawing to a close, the last echo of the bell fading into the tumult that was everyone getting their stuff together and preparing to leave. Kaede sighed, putting her books in the bag, grateful for once that there was no scheduled Baka Ranger meeting today. She looked around, noting how everyone split into their usual groups before moving off, most back to the dorms for a change of clothes before hitting the town, as they liked to call it, drifting around, eyeing up clothes, jewellery, boys…

Frowning, the kunoichi shook her head. What on earth was wrong with her? She wasn't herself lately, that was for sure. That hike into the mountains to clear her head was starting to become more and more appealing. She'd get away from these thoughts, focus on her training, maybe even relax a little in the hot springs. Kaede stood up as Mana passed by. The ninja nodded at the gunslinger, who tipped her head in farewell. Having worked together for a while, dealing with several…unsavoury types, both girls had come to a mutual understanding of the other. Not as close as the warrior bond that Mana shared with Setsuna true, but a satisfactory one nonetheless.

Kaede swiftly walked out of the class, heading back to her dorms. Her thoughts were starting to become more and more confusing lately. What _was_ wrong with her? Recently she'd been having these strange thoughts, like what it would be like to have a boyfriend, thoughts that had never before even entered her mind. She supposed it might be to do with Negi-sensei maturing, becoming more of the man he would eventually grow into. She was surprised to feel a faint blush creep onto her face. Wrestling down her less than cooperative hormones, she continued heading home.

She didn't need a boyfriend. She'd done well enough without one, and she had no intention of seeking one out now. Besides, teasing Negi-sensei was just so much more fun.

* * *

The shutters were drawn, blocking out the sunlight. The interior was dark and musty, the weight of ages crushing in its darkened confines. Sitting at the counter, an old man was reading a paper by the light of a single candle. All around him were shelves cluttered with various items, what some would call junk, others treasure. There where tribal masks, ancient coins, blades, a suit of full plate armour, something that resembled a laser, talons, potions, a jar full of reptilian eyes that seemed to look at you no matter where you were, pieces of coloured glass, glowing beads and a skeleton of a small dinosaur.

Over the years, his collection had amounted to this, and it continued to grow as no one ever bought anything from his shop. Hell, it had been two years since anyone apart form him had even entered the shop. And so Makoto Izashima, age 67, spent his days reading the papers from several different countries he had delivered to his front door every morning, learning of what was going on in the world.

The bell by the front door chimed, and light spilled in from outside. Surprised, the shop keeper glanced around the side of his paper towards the entrance. Framed by the door was a figure, blacked out due to the harsh midday light behind it.

"Striking a cool pose in everyday life makes one look lame," advised Izashima, ruffling his paper. The figure facefaulted into the floor. "And mind the floor, I don't want to clean it again."

"Of course sir," answered the shadowy character, picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself off as he entered the shop properly. "Though most salesmen are a lot more polite to potential customers," he added, closing the door behind him with another tinkle of the bell. Izashima put down his paper with a good natured smile and studied the newcomer. Another kid, this one in his mid-teens. Rather tall with blonde hair. Funnily enough, he wasn't wearing a Mahora uniform, rather something that looked like it could have belonged in a navy parade. Dark blue trousers and a jacket with the sleeves rolled up which had a gold pad with attached bars on the left shoulder. The jacket wasn't completely zipped up, revealing a black shirt beneath. And he had a red cape too.

"Well no one has come in here for nearly two years now boy. Forgive an old man if he's more blunt than he ought to be," grinned the shop keeper, running a hand over his balding scalp. ""Fancy get up you got there. Cosplaying or have you just come ashore?"

The blonde laughed. "Well, one could say that. Haven't had a chance to get some normal clothing yet you see?"

Izashima shook his head. "Wrong place sonny. Here you won't get much normal stuff. If you're after armour on the other hand…" he said, indicating the hollow knight next to the counter. He saw the blonde look over the suit of armour before shaking his head.

"No thanks, I just dropped by for a look around, if that's ok?"

The older man nodded. "Of course, go right ahead. Don't mind the dust, by the way. Been a while since I cleaned this place. Sucks to work on your own here." The blonde shot him a sharp look after the last comment, but said nothing.

* * *

Negi was walking down the Mahora high street, idly glancing about as he checked his position on the map Chamo had scribbled for him. It was legible at least, thought obviously not to scale. He turned right once, the left twice, went down the street, turned right twice more, then left, then back down the street, then up a darkened alley, then right, then two lefts. Negi stopped walking and glanced around. He was on yet another Mahoran street, unremarkable from any other he had been on.

But nestled in the corner was a small shop with its blinds drawn. On the faded sign he could just make out the words "Izashima's Emporium" written in fancy scroll. The young teacher pushed the door open, surprised to feel it give way. There was a faint chime as the bell inside rang to herald his coming. The boy blinked to let his eyes adjust to the gloom inside the shop, the shelves slowly resolving themselves, stretching away into the darkness. Negi took a step forward cautiously, trying to peer into the blackness ahead of him when suddenly a single candle flared in the darkness.

"Welcome child," rasped an illuminated face, half hidden by the darkness. Negi took a step back in shock. The light of the candle deepened the wrinkles, making the man look ancient. His glasses reflected the light, obscuring his eyes. "What would you like?"

Negi gulped slightly, his throat dry before there was a click and harsh white light flooded the room, revealing the horrifying figure to be just an old man hunched over clutching a candle. A look of annoyance passed over his face as he addressed someone behind Negi. "Well thanks for that."

"You know, I'm starting to understand why you never got any customers in this place," responded a blonde youth, coming up next to Negi. "And like you told me, dramatic entrances these days are just lame."

The shop owner just snorted and turned around, walking back to the counter and sitting down heavily, before opening his paper and resuming reading. Negi looked up at the youth next to him with a puzzled expression. The older boy smiled at him. "Don't worry, he just likes to mess with people's minds," he said, walking off amongst the shelves, gazing about, the look on his face almost nostalgic.

Negi stood absolutely still for about a minute before accepting all of this as normal behaviour. He'd encountered stranger before, so he acclimatised easily. He walked over to the counter, politely coughing to get the man's attention. The old man, who must've been Izashima, Negi supposed, looked up at him. "Yes, how can I help you?"

_Good to see some normalcy in this place…_ he thought. "Do you have any antiques?" asked the boy. The man stared at him before looking around the entire store. Feeling foolish, Negi continued. "I'm sorry, I meant in particular anything from about the 1500s, Ostian?"

Izashima's eyes glittered with recognition of the code. "You've come to the right place child, though still, I thought it'd be kind of obvious…" he said, waving around the store as he stood up. "I have a nice collection of such items. What interests you particularly? Scrolls? Tomes? Potion? Staffs?" offered the elderly shop keeper, indicating the directions the boy should travel to find each item. Negi looked about, realizing just how massive the store was on the inside, as opposed to the outside.

"Well-" began Negi. That's as far as he got before a shout of warning echoed around the store. Reflexes kicking in, Negi spun around and unleashed a magic arrow. The projectile flew off into the darkness as the shelves fell like dominoes at him. The ten year old nimbly leapt aside as the heavy piece of furniture crashed to the floor, spilling various items. By this time, the arrow he had unleashed had found a target, as signified by the small explosion far to their left. Negi turned to Izashima to apologise, but the older man was staring slack jawed at the devastation that had been wrought over his shop.

"I-I'm sorry," stammered Negi, trembling slightly at the dark aura pouring off the man.

"LUKE MASON!" roared the shop keeper. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" The cry of pure fury shook the store like a whirlwind, and Negi's head snapped about, looking for the person Izashima was addressing.

Then the teacher saw him. Emerging from the skiing ruin where his arrow had struck, rubbing a bruise on his head was a blonde teenager in a bizarre blue outfit. Coughing slightly, he grinned sheepishly as he held up a wooden box that he had wrenched from the bottom of one of the back shelves, triggering this series of unfortunate events. "Erm, can I buy this?"


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Whew, nearly missed the deadline! _

_SoulLoss: Well, a Knight wouldn't take advantage of others, right? And it works, no problem. _

_Nederbird: I presumed it happened off screen so to spak, as some time passed between Luke arrivinand Negi arriving. Is it clear now?_

Chapter Four: Reporting Incident

Negi couldn't quite believe where he was. In the back seat of a police car travelling with two people he knew nothing about. Well, not quite true. Izashima he knew was a store owner, who was scary when angry. He sat in front of the ten year old, sullenly shooting black looks at the other boy in the car.

He sat to Negi's right, a sixteen year old blonde who Negi had never seen before in his life. He was either a mage who was poor at disguising himself, or one heck of a dedicated cosplayer. His brown eyes were scanning the streets outside, filled with a strange melancholy.

"So…" started Negi, feeling awkward in the tense silence. "What's your name?" he asked the youth sitting next to him. The boy blinked in shock, before turning to face the child with an easy smile.

"Name's Luke Mason, Professor," he answered, producing a gold pocket watch out of nowhere and flipping its lid open with a flick of his wrist. He peered at its face for a moment before sighing and flipping it shut. "And my schedule is going to hell," he grumbled, to himself more than anything.

"Quiet you little vandal!" snapped Izashima. "You ruined my store! It'll cost me thousands to fix everything!" he growled, looking straight ahead.

"But no one cares. You said so yourself, no one ever comes to your store," pointed out Luke in a bored voice as he resumed watching the world outside.

Izashima blanched. "W-well, you do have a point…" he confessed, not turning around to give the youth the victory of seeing his embarrassment. Luke remained silent, now and again sighing to himself.

Negi simply stared at them. He knew Mahora was far from normal, but this duo…they went beyond abnormal and straight into the "keep an eye on them" category of strange. That suspicion was reaffirmed when Luke's eyes went suddenly wide as he spotted something.

"Wait, are you taking us to the station in the middle of the city?! At this time of day?!" he asked, slightly panicky. The policeman driving them simply nodded, not wanting to be dragged into the conversations that had been occurring in his car so far.

"Something wrong?" asked Negi. The blonde was becoming rather pale as he shook his head.

"Nothing major. It's just that…well, I don't want to go to the centre of the city at this time of day. Lots of people around," explained Luke, fidgeting slightly as he continued to watch the streets become more and more crowded with people. There was far more to it than just that of course. The more people there were, the greater chances of him encountering some…old acquaintances he wasn't quite ready to meet yet.

Taking a deep breath to slow down his hammering heart, Luke willed himself to calm. He was acting irrational again. After all he had been through, how could he be nervous about seeing some girls who had no memory of him? _Probably because where Mahora was concerned, it always paid off to be cautious_, said a little voice in his mind.

"We're here," declared the policeman as the car pulled up in front of the police station. The three civilians piled out of the vehicle, stretching, glancing about, or just waiting impatiently for things to get moving. The officer waved them inside, following them in to make sure no one tried to run off to avoid punishment.

The inside of the Mahora police station was as quiet as one would expect. The Campus was hardly a crime filled, gang ruled slum after all, so being a policeman there was one of the easiest jobs one could imagine. Although from time to time they were called out to deal with minor disturbances or clean up operations after something big (read: demon attack).

Negi looked around this new place, curious to see what the Mahora police force did in their own time. And his answer was, not a heck of a lot. Two officers were playing darts, whilst a third kept the score. Another one was typing away at his desk, staring at the computer screen in front of him with a bored expression on his face. Negi deflated slightly, expecting more from Mahora's peacekeepers. Then reality reasserted himself. The true peacekeepers of Mahora were the Mage Council. With them ensuring no demon or rogue got into school, all these people could do was take care of any clean up operation. He continued to survey the scene as the policeman who had escorted him in walked off to deal with the shop owner's complaint against the blonde youth, leaving him and Luke in the corridor to amuse themselves.

The older boy simply sat down in a chair with a sigh and flicked open his pocket watch once more, glancing at the time. Negi glanced at him quizzically.

"Do you have an appointment or something?" asked the child, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Not really," answered Luke, making the gold watch vanish with a wave of his hand. "Just checking to see how much of the day has passed and how much of the day is left," he elaborated, leaning back on the seat, leaving Negi to puzzle out the statement's meaning.

"Right," replied the teacher, as if what the other boy had said made any sense whatsoever, deciding he'd be better off spending his time watching the policemen at their leisure until it was his turn to be interviewed as to what occurred at the shop.

"Hiya professor" grinned Asakura in front of his face, literally popping up out of nowhere.

"GAHHH!" yelped the young boy, falling out of his chair in shock. He sat up, rubbing his head as he looked up at the red head. "Asakura, please don't do that!" he moaned slightly.

The girl had the decency to look sorry for a second before she brightened again, an inquisitive gleam in her eyes which Negi had become all too familiar with. "So what are you doing here? Finally got caught in the act with Nodoka?" she said slyly, causing the younger boy to blush.

"N-NO! Asakura! How can you say that!?" wailed the boy. Unseen by the pair, Luke grinned slightly next to them. "A-and what are YOU doing here?!" retorted the teacher.

"Oh, just running some investigations into a certain virus running about the net," replied the reporter with a wink.

"Wouldn't you be better off asking the science lab about that sort of thing?" asked Negi confused.

"Well, it's a criminal virus, hunting down information, so there is someone behind it, and I'm going to prove my worth by exposing them!" revealed Asakura triumphantly.

Negi sweatdropped. _She's acting more like a private eye than a reporter_ he thought, before the policeman returned with Izashima, interrupting the conversation.

"Well, I've talked ot the owner and he seems willing not to press charges if he is reimbursed," said the young man with a tired sigh. "This is a pretty much open and shut case, so I guess I won't be requiring your statement after all Mr. Springfield. I apologize for wasting your time."

Negi looked taken aback but nodded, before he realized something. "Erm…I it possibly you could give me a lift back to the dorms?"

The officer nodded with a smile. "Of course, just as soon as I deal with this delinquent," he said, turning to Luke. "Now, I'll have to detain you for the night and-"

"That won't be necessary," replied the blonde smoothly, pulling out a small black wallet from the depths of his cloak, flipping it open and presenting it to the man with a smile.

The policeman scanned the document inside quickly, and his eyes went wide before he looked back to the youth's face. He then swiftly straightened up, addressing the youth. "I apologise Inspector. I had no idea you were going to grace us with your presence."

There was a moment of stupefied silence whilst everyone stared at the blonde teen who stood up and patted the man on the shoulder. "Well, no harm done. I was checking out small shops in the area, following up a lead about some smuggling, but it seems to have been a red herring," Luke said with a smile, as he turned to Izashima, who's jaw was hanging open. "Don't worry, you aren't guilty of anything like that, and I will of course compensate you for the damages."

The shop keeper's mouth snapped shut as he nodded dumbly, as Negi and Asakura shared a look, neither sure of what was going on as Luke continued. "Well, sorry to have called you out for this, but I must admit, you have passed my test admirably. Rapid response time, and no work piling up either. In the spirit of goodwill I shall overlook some of the laxities you have taken here, but I suppose it is only to be expected in an environment such as this." With that, the youth nodded and turned around, heading for the door. "I'll be taking my leave now, but should anything come up, I'll be around. Mr. Izashima, I will contact you regarding the payment tomorrow, if that is alright?"

"Of course."

"Excellent. In that case gentlemen, lady," he said, tilting his head in their direction, "good day."

And with that he exited the building. The company stood there, staring at the portal before snapping back to reality.

"Sorry Professor, but this guy I gotta check out!" said Asakura, rushing outside in pursuit. No way was she going to let this guy get away! A seventeen year old Inspector? It was as common as ten year old teachers! There was a story in there, she knew it!

Luke, by this time, had vanished into the crowds filling the street, grinning slightly as he peeled his photo off the ID, revealing the face of another teen, this one with red hair, beneath.

"Sorry Sloan, but I can hardly sit in lock up now can I?" he said to the photo with a smile. It was exceptionally good foresight on his part to have borrowed the Private Investigator licence form Sloan whilst in America. The fact he still didn't know about it being in Luke's possession was just to make sure he didn't get involved in anything he couldn't handle. And anyway, now the had no use for it, so might as well send it back to him. With that thought in his mind, the blonde turned about and made his way to the post office, flowing through the bustling streets like a shadow.

"Hey, Inspector, wait up!" called a familiar voice behind him.

Luke froze dead in his tracks, the colour draining from his face as he turned around, smiling weakly at the approaching reporter.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I promised an update a day, so I apologise for my failure. I shall striveto meet your standards! Fear not, other stuff WILL be updated! (And yes Midnight, the next Operation will be initiated soon). _

_Blaze Shadow: It's ok. You reviewed in the end. _

_Watch Wannabe: I apologise. School got to me and it happened. As for the answers to your questions...read and find out ;)_

Chapter Five: Where are we going with this…?

The attractive red head flashed him her friendliest smile, but to Luke, it still had an uncanny resemblance to that of a shark. "Inspector, if I may?" she asked politely, her notepad and pen already in her hands, whilst her ever present camera dangled from its strap around her neck.

"Miss, I appreciate your work and effort, but I am afraid now is not the best time," replied the blonde, in his most professional tone. The girls face flickered slightly with disappointment, causing Luke to feel a stab of guilt. _Aw damn, now I've hurt her feelings…and as a gentleman, I cannot let her remain so…_ he thought with a mental sigh. Exactly why he clung to his code of chivalry was beyond him, but it provided a feeling of comfort, that of the familiar, the unchanged since the time he had first come to Mahora, over a year ago now. He looked at Asakura again, and smiled. "I have some minor matters to swiftly attend to, but I would gladly talk to you later."

The girl's face brightened visibly at that, whilst her eyes took on an inquisitive nature, one the boy knew so well he had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. "Perfect! I have so many questions to ask you, Inspector. What time are you free?" she queried, jotting down a memo to herself.

"Erm…how about Starbooks, in an hour?" suggested the youth, without really thinking over the possible consequences of his decision. And boy, were there going to be some MAJOR ones…

Asakura responded with simple nod and a quick "thanks" before undoubtedly running off back to the dorms to prepare her interrogation – er, interview kit. Luke sighed to himself as he turned around and resumed walking to the post office. _Day one, people encountered: Negi Springfield, Makoto Izashima, Kazumii Asakura. This is progressing far too rapidly. _

* * *

At the girls' dorms, things were beginning to kick off in style. It was early evening, so slowly all the inhabitants began trickling back to their rooms. And when you put thirty one girls of varying temperament in one place for a prolonged period of time, things are bound to get interesting.

And that's without adding the potential for trouble with two young boys rooming there, and the scientists, and the bounty hunters and…

Well, you get the idea.

Hardly the place to have a quiet reflection if something was bothering you. And so that's why Kaede was heading for a hike into the mountains. They were far more peaceful than the dorms, and would be the perfect place to puzzle out what exactly was bothering her. And a nice rest in one of the hot springs would certainly be welcome too.

The twins could easily make do without her for a day or two, so no worries there. The ninja ran one last mental check to see if she had forgotten anything. Weaponry? Check. Change of clothes? Check. Homework? Nope. Camping kit? Check.

Everything ready, the ninja made her way outside, only to nearly collide with Asakura. Only her ninja training, which allowed her to leap up onto the ceiling whilst bracing herself against opposite walls all while wearing a heavy rucksack, let her avoid whacking into her classmate.

"Oh, sorry Kaede!" apologised Asakura, skidding to a halt as the ninja dropped back down. "Didn't see you there," she continued, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "But then again, ninjas are meant to be hard to see, right?"

"Indeed, de gozaru," answered Kaede with her ever present small smile. "So what has you rushing today?"

"Oh, it's a secret!" grinned the reporter, running off to her dormitory. "You'll find out in the next issue of the Academy newspaper!" she called over her back as she vanished up the stairs, leaving Kaede to simple shrug and walk out for her hike.

* * *

Chisame growled as she continued to battle the virus. It was tenacious. Whoever had designed this program was skilled, there was no doubt. But there was no way it could withstand her pactio!

That's what she had been thinking fifteen minutes ago.

Instead, the damn thing had mutated, and counterattacked with shocking ferocity, expelling her familiars from cyberspace without a second thought. The net idols only consolation was that the virus seemed to be doing nothing more than eating up RAM. But as an experienced computer user, Chisame knew that for all she knew, the virus could be stealing her personal data or destroying precious files. All of those threatened her reputation as Chiu, and as everyone who truly knew her could attest, that was one of the few things the otherwise silent girl would fight tooth and nail for.

She swiftly selected another anti-virus and engaged the program, the technology instantly whirring into life and proceeding to scan the virus. Once more a message popped up, reading "Unknown Program". The school girl moved her mouse over to the delete button and hesitated briefly, weighing her options. Deciding she had nothing to lose, she clicked it. The whirring of her PC increased rapidly before dying away, and another message appeared. "Seek and ye shall find," it simply read.

Chisame's roars of frustration added to the cacophony of the bustling dorm.

* * *

Luke strolled happily through the thinning crowds, dusk approaching. The licence was now out of his hands, and safely posted back to Sloan. Hopefully he wouldn't realize just how long it had been missing, but if he did, then so be it. The blonde walked into the café he'd suggested to Miss Asakura earlier, and cast a glance around. It was surprisingly busy, which suited him just fine. The more noise there was, the less chance of people eavesdropping.

He made his way over to a free table, careful not to bump into anyone, as most of the other patrons looked ready to react to ay perceived threat. Luke slid into a free seat and rolled his shoulders, easing out the tension before looking around. It appeared that Miss Asakura had not arrived yet, otherwise she would already be in front of him with her camera, notebook, pen and inquisitive smile. A year ago, he would have been terrified of encountering her, with her probing questions and legendary reputation for stirring up trouble.

But then again, reporters weren't all bad. Indeed, some could prove to be surprisingly heroic…

* * *

"_This seems a little...excessive," he said eventually._

_The other figure turned to face him, an eyebrow raised. "Oh?" _

"_Yeah, I mean, its just a mall. I'd stick out like a sore thumb dressed in SWAT armour," pointed out the blonde, removing the helmet and letting it fall to the ground. "I think its counter productive that's all. I think I'd be better off just going in like a normal shopper, so that he doesn't realize I'm there." _

_The blue robed man considered this. "You do have a point. But this is your life on the line. I was led to believe you preferred to have as much protection as possible," he replied, idly fingering the brim of his ochre wizard hat. _

_The youth rolled his eyes. "I have this, it should prove enough protection," he said, unsheathing the sword sheathed at his hilt. The surface was smooth and flowed, the blade consisting entirely of water. "Also, all malls have a sprinkler system, so he won't be able to go far once I find him." _

"_A most cunning plan," congratulated the Talon in his monotone, as Luke walked over to the doorway, adjusting his parachute in preparation for the drop. "But how will you deal with unforeseen complications?" _

"_You mean stuff you haven't told me?" countered the boy with a grin. "I'll improvise. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" he finished, bracing himself against the doorway, about to launch himself into the air. "By the way, who's the star of this little story anyway?" Luke added as an after thought, indicating the small American town far below. _

"_Frank West. If you run into trouble with the psychos or zombies, find him. Your chances of survival should be better around him." _

"_Right," nodded the blonde. "I – Wait, ZOMBIES?!" _

"_Good luck," wished Darkside, kicking the boy out of the plane, sending him down to Willamette. _

* * *

Luke blinked his eyes and shook off the memory. No use reminiscing now, he thoughtm spying a familiar red head entering the café and waving her over. As much as he hated what was coming next, he'd promised her an interview.

And a gentleman always keeps his word.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Some ideas are already flowing, but got to keep to the main focus here! If you have suggestions feel free to share them. _

_Tikigod784: Things always do :)_

_Watch Wannabe: Chisame alone vs virus. Roger that. _

_TzuiAssassian: Whas life but a series of random events? And yes, school sucks. Net issues don't help either..._

Chapter Six: So, what's your story?

"Thanks for agreeing to see me," began Asakura, sliding into one of the chairs, flashing the youth a smile as she took off her bag and put it down, waving over a waiter. "I hope you don't mind if I have a drink?"

"Of course not," replied the blonde, smiling slightly. "I might join you actually. The day has been…shall I say, hectic?" Luke said, leaning back in his chair. The café was surprisingly hushed, considering the amount of patrons filling it. Then again, everyone pretty much could be classified as shady, so it wasn't surprised they were talking in whispers. The guy in the bandana one table over, in deep conversation with a funny albino, was a prime example.

"Hectic? Hmm, I thought an Inspector like you would be used to such things though," grinned the reporter, leaning in close, propping her chin up on her hand. Luke raised an eyebrow at her rather transparent attempt at putting him off-balance. Such closeness and intimacy would put many teenage males off-guard, and it would have undoubtedly worked on him a year ago. But not now.

"Perhaps," he replied, leaning in as well, placing his face a few centimetres away from Asakura's. "But I don't do a lot of inspecting, so to speak," he whispered discreetly, idly noting that the red head had put on faint amounts of perfume. "Unless, you wish me to?" he added with a wink.

The girl blushed slightly as she leaned back, a look of surprise at his bold reaction flashing across her features before her reporter mask reasserted itself. "perhaps," she answered, half turning her head as a waiter approached their table "One coffee please. Inspector…?"

"I'll have a banana caramel frappucino," Luke supplied smoothly, nodding at the waiter. The man jotted down their orders and moved off, leaving the pair alone once more. "So then Miss Asakura, shall we begin?"

"Of course," she smiled, unpacking her pencil and notebook. "How did you wind end up as an Inspector at such a young age?" asked Asakura directly, poised to jot down anything the blonde youth would say.

Luke just cocked an eyebrow at her as he smiled. "No beating around the bush eh? Simple really," he replied, shrugging. "Luck." The reporter gave him a sceptical look, to which the boy replied by opening his arms in a "what did you expect?" gesture.

"Are you telling me you earned the rank of Inspector at the age of seventeen due to _luck_?" reiterated Asakura, her eyes narrowing as she studied Luke. The blonde seemed to ponder this for a moment, before visibly grimacing as he played out the conversation in his mind. Choosing the wiser course of action, he changed tack.

"I would believe a reporter would understand," he said, idly drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

"Excuse me?"

"The singly chance, that of being at the right place at the right time, guaranteeing you a scoop, guaranteeing me a place in Interpol. Surely you understand that such a possibility is not beyond belief?" Luke elaborated, gesturing slightly with his hands for emphasis.

Asakura frowned. "I understand your point, Inspector…Mason was it?" she asked, looking to the boy for confirmation.

"The name's Luke Mason. No need for titles. It gets quite tedious after a while. "

"As you wish…Luke. However, whilst I will not deny that luck does play a hand in our lives, don't you agree that to bring about good luck one must have the foresight and planning to create a situation where one's luck is favourable?"

"Make your own you mean? A valid point, and definitively one that rings true most of the time. However, in my case, I simply point at a series of stand-alone incidents, which, when linked, threw me into this position." That was certainly true, which reassured his conscience. The fact he was sort of lying about being an Inspector was bad enough, but it was necessary. A private eye wouldn't attract much attention, especially in Mahora, which was full of varied characters who could require such services.

"A position of Inspector?" followed up Asakura, scribbling in her notebook.

"That is my official rank within the police force, yes, but I prefer to work as a private investigator. Less office politics," explained Luke, as their drinks arrived. "Thanks Hiro," he said as the young man placed the beverages on the table, causing him to look up sharply.

"How did you know my name?" asked the waiter defensively.

"Name tag," replied Luke, which caused the man to snort as he walked off, again leaving Luke alone with Asakura. "Right, where were we?"

"So you left the police force due to differences with other members, and established yourself as a lone operative?" queried the red head, making sure she had gotten her facts right.

"That is correct."

"But how did you wind up with the police force in the first place, _detective_?" continued the reporter, using the correct term for Luke's profession. "And Interpol," she added, seizing on Luke's early slip.

Mentally cursing his foolishness in letting that information out, Luke answered as best he could. "There was a case going around, and no, I can't comment on it so don't bother, and I happened to be at a sight regarding it. Having no choice but to tag along with the investigation task force, I helped out as best I could, anf achieved a the rank of Inspector in recognition of my efforts."

The way the youth casually tossed aside a saga in a few sentences riled the reporter, but she reigned in her frustration. If he was not at liberty to discuss the incident, then he would keep his word. He seemed like the noble, upstanding type. Well bully him. That kind of attitude was of no use in the real world. But no matter, she would just have to find out for herself, which was a rather appealing prospect. Kazumii Asakura always relished a challenge.

He was surprisingly hard to read as well. He exuded a calm, cheerful demeanour, sitting there, sipping his drink through the straw, gazing around, now and again looking back at the reporter. Rarely his eyes flickered to below her face but seeing as he was a teenage guy, she figured she could forgive him that.

"Is there anything else?" he asked politely, catching her gazing intently at him. "A commission, more questions? I am not looking for a job right now, so you'd be better off looking somewhere else."

"No, nothing like that," she replied easily, allowing herself to smile. "Just considering all you've told me that's all." She drank some of her coffee, feeling the liquid run down her throat and warm her from the inside.

"Hmm, alright. Well, thank you for the…pleasant break, but I have things I ought to do, so if you'll excuse me?"

The girl nodded in understanding, realizing that for the youth, the interview was over, and no kind of coaxing would get any information out of him. Well, perhaps an 'accidental' fall, twisting her ankle, and having him carry her back to the dorms would loosen his tongue…

"Then good day Miss Asakura," bade Luke, stranding up suddenly, depositing some change on the counter (enough to pay for the entire bill actually) before walking out, leaving the reporter alone to sift through all the information she had been left with. It would take a while. Perhaps another coffee would help…?

Abruptly, Asakura glanced up to see the young man who had served her come back to the table. "Excuse me Miss, but where did that boy you were with go?"

"Why?"

"He recognized me from somewhere" replied the young man, "and I was wondering from where."

"What makes you so sure?" countered the reporter, raising an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee again.

"He knew my name."

"He said he read it off your nametag," she pointed out.

"Staff here don't wear nametags."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry for the late update. After this, there won't be an update for a bit as I will be focusing on adding a chapter to MaE. Also, Serac and Darkside are properties of XSerac. _

_Blaze Shadow: Thanks. _

_Watch Wannabe: Well, to balance things out, this has more scenes. _

_Nederbird: Swiss rolls eh? I'll try. _

_Tikigod784: Thank you. _

_TzuiAssassian: A typical manga development huh? :P_

Chapter Seven: Phantom

Nature was calming. There was just something about it, the sounds, smells and sights, which soothed the soul and calmed the mind. Kaede breathed the fresh air gratefully; glad to be away from the urbanised campus. Here she would be able to focus on her training much more, and dispel her worries. Her camp had already been set up, and she was sitting idly one a rock overlooking a small stream where she often went fishing. She tossed up one of her daggers, easily catching it by the blade when it fell back down. Often, when troubled, she'd sit and think. Only…

What was she supposed to think? She was feeling a bit left out perhaps? Everyone having boyfriends but her? That was ludicrous. Over half the class was without a partner, so that definitively wasn't it. But there was something in that. Something…missing.

That was it, something seemed to be missing. The kunoichi shook her head. She must be ill or something, to think such thoughts. Everything she'd need she had. Looking out at the setting sun, its rays turning the sky a blazing orange, she was surprised to hear herself sigh. Shaking her head, Kaede smiled ruefully. Best to get down to training to forget her worries. If there was nothing to be done about it, it was senseless to worry after all.

With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent the dagger in her hand flying to spear a fish that had leapt from the water. Quick as a flash she plucked it from the air as she somersaulted over the stream, landing gently on the opposite bank. She inspected her handiwork as she slid the blade from the creature, nodding her head in satisfaction. A couple more and she'd have a fine dinner to round off the day.

All she had to do once the fishing was complete was to collect enough wood to begin a fire. Now Kaede knew she could worry about that, albeit slightly, simply because she could rectify that situation. Smiling at her chain of reasoning, Kaede drew out another couple of knives, taking careful aim.

* * *

"Idiot-idiot-idiot!" chanted Luke over and over, running as fast as he could. Every time he glanced behind he could just make out Miss Asakura pursuing him through the crowds. Luckily, Hiro wasn't with her. Avoiding the reporter would be far easier than that killer. OK, so he killed the scum of the earth, which technically makes him a good killer…which wasn't that far from his own position actually. Shaking his head clear Luke continued to run. He'd manage to get away as long as…

"Stop, thief!" cried Asakura, inspiration striking her.

Luke groaned and rolled his eyes. _She actually resorted to that_ he thought dejectedly, sidestepping a burly man who seemed ready to punch him down. Frankly, when on a crowded street and chasing someone, it was efficient to label them a thief and leave most of the work to good Samaritans. Shameless exploitation true, but if it works, it works.

He continued his run, using all of his knowledge of Mahora that he remembered. Luke turned and spun, ducking and flowing through crowds swiftly, putting more distance between himself and Miss Asakura. The youth ran down alleys and boulevards, now and then dodging somebody who got in his way, attracted by the reporter's cries of "Thief!"

Thinking fast, Luke leapt down yet another side alley, only this time, instead of running down it, he leapt into a dumpster. Far from noble, but whatever worked was fine with him at this point. Peeking out from beneath the lid, holding his breath against the foul stench, he watched the school girl rush pass, intent on catching him. As soon as she had turned the corner at the opposite end of the alley, the blonde jumped out and ran back the way he came.

Luke sighed in relief at having avoided the reporter that time. Of course, knowing her, she'd now put a wanted ad in the school newspaper. Luke's face fell. It looked like it was time to lie low for a while. And he had so been looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed too.

* * *

"Mistress?" asked one of the three mice floating in front of her. Chisame turned to face it, waving for it to continue. "No major disturbance has been detected. The intruder seems to be simply randomly scanning files. It is probably searching for something."

Another mouse spoke up. "Probability of this being a virus has therefore been reduced by 79. Conversely, chances of it being a hacker are up 89," it reported, as the third rodent joined them in floating in front of the net idol.

"No malignant effects have as yet been inflicted on the OS. It is still unknown what the information being sought is," finished the newcomer, all three familiars looking to Chisame for their next orders.

The girl looked thoughtful, considering her options as shoals of fish swam by, representing the endless tiny tasks the computer did in the background without her knowing. So some cocky young fool thought he could get the better of her did he? Well, she'd soon prove her superiority over him! She turned back to her loyal followers, who immediately lined up at attention in front of her, awaiting her command.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do," smiled Chisame evilly. "First, reroute the directories so the scan continues to look over the same files. That should buy us some time. In the meantime, we locate the source of the hack and follow it back to its source. Then, let's do a little scanning of our own before hurling this guest out."

The mice bowed as best they could, before Chisame dismissed them with a wave, sending them flying off to perform the things that needed doing to bring her plan to fruition.

* * *

Time crashed onto itself far below. Eternity howled as it whirled around the fortress, newly built and ancient beyond measure. As imposing as it was, it was merely a gatehouse. Vast tapestries decorated the endless hallways, stretching into infinity, each and every one of them unique, a snapshot of time. He paid them no mind as he walked down the abandoned passage way, his footsteps echoing in the limitless darkness. Any intruder who'd find their way into this building would become lost for all eternity, surrounded by images of what may have been if they had chosen otherwise in their lives.

The ultimate defence. Yet he could easily bypass it all, for he knew the secret codes and passages which led to his destination. Suddenly, the hall ended, despite stretching on forever in front of him, and instead he was in front of a colossal wall, stretching in all directions to beyond sight. And set into it was the Eternity Gate. One of the singly most powerful artefacts to exist. A vast golden portal, its doors gleaming gold, etched with carvings depicting all of history. Creation, Armageddon, humanity, xenos, all was portrayed playing its part in Fate's grand design, silver threads linking everything together.

No mortal mind could look upon it and live. The sheer scale and nature of the Gate blasted the sanity of those who dared look upon it. But it held no power over him. He stepped up to it, the threads coming alive, and like serpents, wove their way around a particular carving, before spreading outwards, expanding it in all directions. It took less than a second, longer than an eternity. He now stood before an entrance into another chamber, his destination. Without a backward glance, he stepped through, the doorway behind him reforming back into rock as the Gate assumed its normal appearance once more.

Now he stood in a fully enclosed chamber, the source of light a single gleaming star far above. The circular room was dominated by a large table, with symbols that had lost meaning before time began, and that were yet to be created. Five alcoves were spaced equally in the walls of the room, like the one from which he had entered, but apart from that, the walls were bare and solid. There were no windows or doors. Not even time reached this place.

Stepping forward, he drew his blue cloak tighter around himself as he tapped the brim of his ochre wizard hat in salute. Reaching into the folds of his cerulean garment, the figure drew out a small object, a symbol of his standing. It was a gleaming needle, marking him as a Fateweaver. He placed it on the table, indicating his involvement in this audience. To his left, another man entered the chamber, emerging from the alcove and dropping an onyx bead onto the table, the mark of the Enforcer. Sharing a look with his brother, the Fateweaver nodded in acknowledgement before a slight tinkling signified the arrival of another Talon. His chosen relic was a gold gear. The Fateweaver raised an eyebrow slightly at this. It had been a long time since that item had rested on the table.

"Report Darkside," hissed the Guardian, swathed in red robes. Despite having his face hidden within the deep hood, the light still glinted off the lens where his eyes should have been.

"Her will has been done," replied the Fateweaver, a hint of an emotion ghosting across his face at the use of his name. "My mission has been a success. The being known as Ezekiel has been neutralised, Zegar," continued the young Talon, using the Guardian's name.

"Good work, brother," congratulated the Enforcer, Serac, in his monotone as the Guardian clenched his fist, the clockwork machinery in his artificial arm whirring as it carried out the motion. "You have shown yourself capable as a Talon, succeeding where Zegar failed," he added, looking over to the red robed figure.

With a sigh, he unclenched his fist, and nodded. "Indeed. I recognize your achievement in managing to track down the creature and in stopping it."

Darkside acknowledged the praise with a nod in the Guardian's direction. "Your knowledge of the creature was invaluable," replied the Fateweaver, the closest he'd ever come to thanking the most scarred Talon.

The Guardian regarded the younger man coolly before reaching for his symbol. "Then in that case, I shall leave you to your duties, gentlemen," he said, pocketing his golden gear as he turned on his heel and strode towards his alcove, disappearing into the darkened wall.

The brothers watched him go before sharing a farewell glance as they too collected their items and left the chamber. Two Talons had not been present. There was nothing unusual in that, there were often duties which kept them too busy to attend these sessions. In truth, Darkside had expected only his brother to come, but on closer inspection the Guardian's attendance wasn't surprising either. After the war, he had been essentially obsolete, as since then the threats to Fate's dominion were easily handled by Serac. True, none of them came close to the scale of the war, but that was all that was left now.

The Dahaka situation had been assigned to Darkside, and it had been carried out, with a mortal acting as his sword against the creature. But it wouldn't have been half as easy as it had been were it not for the blade Zegar had given to him on the commencement of his mission. Striding back to the weaving chamber, Darkside put all thoughts regarding the guardian and his successful mission to one side. He was going back to where he belonged. And he had tales that needed ending.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Continuing this tale, despite the hardships thrown my way..._

_TzuiAssassian: Hehehe, yes I know, nothing really happening. It's all building up to the chapter..._

Chapter Eight: Throwback

Negi stared intently at the paper in front of him, eyes flickering to the mark scheme he had laid out next to it on the little desk in the dormitory he shared with Asuna and Konoka. The girls were currently in the baths with the rest of their classmates, which meant that the dormitory was oddly silent, the rarest of occurrences.

Of course, Negi couldn't let this opportunity got to waste, and so he was marking exam papers, decreasing his workload for the next day. Chamo had also chosen to make use of this chance, and had sneaked off to perform the most daring of panty raids. Not that Negi knew the specifics, and frankly, he didn't want to either. Sipping some herbal tea, Negi smiled slightly at the peaceful evening he was having.

No way would karma let him get away with that! On cue the door to his room burst open, and the young boy had enough time to turn around before being tackled off his chair by two energetic bundles of energy. Also known as the Narutaki twins. Struggling into a sitting position, the two girls hugging him fiercely, Negi managed to gasp out, "Fuka, Fumika! W-what's g-going on?"

"Professor, play with us!" they chirruped in unison, finally releasing the boy from their grips. He stood up shakily and dusted himself off, picking up his glasses as he spoke again to the pair.

"Girls, I-I'm busy at the moment, why don't you go play with Kaede or something?" he suggested, righting the chair and sitting back down on it, glad all of a sudden that he had something to keep him busy and out of trouble. The twins were nice girls, but knowing them, things would get really uncomfortable really fast.

Fumika looked down at her feet, sad eyed. "But Kaede has left for some of her special training tonight and she won't be back until tomorrow morning!"

Fuka took over. "So we're all alone in the dorm! It's scary at night! Professor, can't you sleep with us tonight?"

Several responses to that question ran through Negi's mind at hearing that request, all variations of "NO WAY" in some shape or form. "Kaede's gone? Special training? Where?! She has school tomorrow!" he asked, half curious and half avoiding the earlier question.

Fuka sighed as if she was educating a particularly slow puppy. "She sometimes goes on her own for a one night camp in the mountains. She used to it though, and she always gets back early in the morning, so don't worry, she won't miss class," she explained, her twin nodding her head vigorously to confirm what was being said.

Negi glanced at them before resuming his work. "Sorry girls, I have to grade these papers by tomorrow. And I doubt you need supervision. You said so yourself Fuka, Kaede has done this before, and so you have coped without her before too," he pointed out. The twins deflated slightly and retreated back to the doorway, conferring amongst themselves. A minute later, when Negi looked back at the door, they were gone.

* * *

He was back here, of all places. Idly sitting on the edge of the sheer drop, legs dangling, he stared at the moon. It was a beautiful night. The air was fresh and clean, and the mountainside around him was alive with the sounds of life. It was glorious. Taking a deep breath, he looked down over the edge. It wasn't far to fall, and the slope was not too steep. Beyond the ability of him to clamber down without assistance obviously, but for her, it probably would have been just an early morning workout.

Luke sighed. It was pathetic now he thought about it. Of all the places, in all of time and space, why here? Why had he chosen to come back? There was nothing for him here. There never had been. He shook his head sadly. He was still headstrong, boldly choosing to return here at the successful completion of his mission, never once considering the consequences of his actions. He was back now true, but why? Did he honestly believe Miss Nagase would somehow, unbelievably, fall for him again? Had she ever fallen for him though? He knew he had some sort of feelings for her, though she remained a good natured mystery too him, shamelessly toying and flirting with him, driving him up the wall or nailing him to it. Or she had been. That was a different time, before he'd screwed things up.

And back then, her feelings, if real, had probably formed out of a sense of care for him. It made perfect sense. He had been a young man, lost and alone, and placed under her care and surveillance. Luke wasn't an idiot, he was fully aware that he had been a potential danger to the academy, so it was only natural he had been placed in close proximity to someone who could deal with him if he had turned out to be a threat. And she had, admirably.

The blonde smiled in pride as he rubbed the faint scar running down the left side of his face, barely visible. Hardly a threat to his boyish features, he thought wryly, laughing at the sky. He'd taken far worse wounds and scars since that time, but nothing that was noticeable. His own warped brand of luck had held after all. Standing up, Luke dusted off his uniform, the colours as fresh as the day the clothes had been presented to him…

* * *

_He fidgeted slightly, fighting to maintain a neutral expression. It was a beautiful spring day, and the trees were rife with colour. The streets were lined with people cheering and singing. Luke looked up at the other men in the vehicle with him, all grinning broadly and enjoying the fact they had lived. _

"_Yo kid, you alright?" asked one of the men seated near the front, turning to face him. "Don't worry, there's nothing to be nervous about. I mean, you're doing the same thing we are!" _

"_Yes, we're just going to see the rulers of two global superpowers, in front of an audience of millions. Nothing to be nervous about at all," responded Luke dryly, causing the man to laugh. _

"_You still haven't changed have you?" _

"_No." _

_The older man shook his head as he turned back to speak to the driver. Luke smiled slightly. Indeed he hadn't changed, not since he'd been picked up by the _Kestrel_ over a month ago now. Fortunate that was. It had given him access to numerous military resources in tracking his quarry in this world, which was just as well, with Darkside being a royal pain and refusing to help once Luke made planet fall. _

_Even better, he hadn't had to do a single thing except help out with the running of an aircraft carrier, live through a sea battle, and finally jump off the flight deck into he sea and swim like mad to a dinghy when the great ship had gone down. _

_And now here he was, going to see the Captain of that fine ship be awarded the highest decoration that any man in Osea could hope to achieve. The boy couldn't help but be infected with the jubilant atmosphere. All of a sudden, the truck came to a lurching stop. The man in front turned around and called back. "Alright, we're here. Try not to screw up big time!" said the pilot of the rescue helicopter _Sea Goblin_._

_As one, the band of men jumped outside and easily lined up with the rest of the crew of the aircraft carrier, already in position to watch the ceremony in person. Luke took his place near the back, his place in this ceremony an honorary one. He had been too young to enlist of course, but had been whisked off by the chain of events in the war, and apparently had conducted himself well. Luke had no idea what that referred to, but hell, if a country was going to reward him for hiding and waiting for the shooting to stop, he wasn't going to argue! _

_He watched the ceremony unfold in front of him, numerous military personnel being decorated for their valour and courage, ranging from Navy captains to Marine commanders. As the captain of the Kestrel shook hands with President Harding, the two men whispered something to one another and shared a chuckle before parting. _

_Luke smiled and clapped along with the crowd as the soldiers around him cheered. The President then stayed up on the podium speaking for a while longer, and then dismissed the troops. In a rare act of generosity, al military personnel had been granted the rest of the day off, and so Luke found himself with time on his hands. Politely declining the offer of a free drink in the nearest bar, he'd wandered off from the city centre and into a nearby park, its hill providing an excellent view of the plaza from where he had just come. _

_Now, he just had to wait for Darkside to show up and take him from here. _

_Nearby, a couple was sitting on a bench, just enjoying each others company. They'd probably been watching the ceremony form here. Luke envied them. The simply intimacy of such a union…he had never experienced something like that properly. He may have been on the verge of though, but then…well, it had gone to hell. Shrugging, he just lay down on the grass and stared at the azure sky, losing himself in its limitless potential. _Luke just stood there, staring at the darkness, a smile on his face. He had been helpful to everyone he'd run across on his travels. He was a gentleman, it was only to be expected. As was the refusal of rewards. Heck, if he HAD accepted, he'd have been too burdened down with gold, treasure, and various other things people would have bestowed upon him. Instead he was content to take a single souvenir from each story he visited. Unless something was positively forced on him, in which case, for sake of politeness, he would take it.

* * *

He glanced at his right arm despite himself. Sometimes, he simply learned a new skill, and that was payment enough. It was amazing what one could learn over the course of a year. He lifted the limb and flexed the fingers in front of his face, feeling the cold air with his fingers, watching the skin react to the wind chill. Sighing again as he put his hands in his pockets, Luke stared at the sky once more, before yawning widely. It was almost time to go to sleep and-

"GODDAMMIT!" he swore in anger as he realised he had absolutely no camping equipment, the curse reverberating around him. Muttering about his own stupidity, he simply stomped over to the side of the path and lay down, wrapping his cloak tightly around himself. He'd slept rough before, but it never got anymore pleasant.

* * *

Standing in the trees, silently watching the ranting and raving youth, was Kaede. She tilted her head in puzzlement at the boy's erratic behaviour. She had been watching him for about ten minutes now, drawn by the noise he was making with his curses and laughter, his mood seeming to jump from jovial to melancholy in a heartbeat. Probably mad, or someone with an erratic thought pattern. Obviously not a threat, or an amateur.

Still, she was slightly curious as to why this young man, not much older than her, had come to the mountains with no equipment, on his won, and seemed not to really give a damn. That spoke of confidence. Clearly misplaced confidence, but nevertheless, he had the conviction to see his course of action to the end, despite it being foolhardy.

An interesting person indeed, despite his blatant flaws.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Here we go! Nine chapters for one day?! Damn..._

_Blaze Shadow: Precisely! It's that Kestrel :D (aw come on, there's a Miss Nagase there too :P)_

_TzuiAssassian: Sorry if I'm boring you so far :P Yes, things will develop from here. Like CHisame's cyber battle with the hacker..._

Chapter Nine: Moment of truth

"Come on Fumika!" whispered Fuka fiercely, dragging the mop and bucket towards her room, her twin sister following with three spray cans of crazy foam, a ball of string and one of Kaede's smoke bombs from her store in the secret compartment in the janitorial closet.

"Are you sure about this?" queried Fumika, slightly concerned over the possible consequences of this latest trap they were setting up. True, they had done this numerous times before when Kaede had left for training, always leaving a trap to greet her on her return, but this new scheme of her sisters…it was just crazy. But knowing Kaede, it'd just be either hilarious to see her finally fall prey to one of their devices, or amazing to see her avoid it.

Fuka turned around to face her sister as she shoved against the door to her dormitory, pushing it open as she answered. "Of course I am! You know that we can't use trip wires on her, and Hakase won't let us use another laser beam," she explained as she put down the bucket, filled with bottles of various liquids, throwing the mop down and walking over to help her twin to carry the rest of their equipment inside. Placing it in a small heap in the corner, the twins sighed in relief at not being discovered. No chance of anyone coming across their little plan, not with the rest of the girls in the baths, Kaede in the mountains and Negi in his room marking their exam papers.

"But isn't this…slight overkill?" asked Fumika, unravelling the string whilst Fuka began to look through the bottles of liquid, checking every now and then the list she had gotten from Hakase regarding chemical mixtures. Her twin just grunted in reply as she found the two liquids she had been looking for. "We could get in real trouble for this," pointed out the more mild mannered girl, tying the string to the doorknob, making sure the knot was tight enough not to fall off or unravel.

"No we won't," said Fuka grinning mischievously. "Remember what Kaede said? If she falls foul of our traps, she deserves whatever she gets! That's what she said!"

"Well, true, but I don't think-"

"Look, just help me out with this! In the end, if something goes wrong, I'm sure it won't be anything major," sad Fuka with an utter finality, brooking no discussion. Fumika just sighed in defeat and continued her work, pulling the string tight and wrapping it around one of the supports of the bunk bed, before leading it into the kitchen and tying it against the door handle there. Her more devious sister in the meantime had begun mixing the chemicals they had bought into the room, her eyes glinting evilly as the concoction began to bubble and fizz violently.

Then it exploded.

Coughing violently as a thick green fog filled the room, the twins stumbled around blindly. Fuka tripped her way over to the dormitory window and hurled it open, expelling the haze from the room. Eyes watering, she turned to her sister, who had fallen onto the sofa.

Fumika looked up at her blearily. "Does that count as major?"

* * *

With a tired but happy sigh, Negi placed his pen on the desk and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. The last papers had been marked, and he was now sorted for tomorrow. He yawned widely as he stood up, putting his glasses back on. The boy glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above him, noting that an hour had passed since he had been interrupted by the twins. That probably meant the girls would be coming back any minute now. Briefly Negi wondered if he should tell Asuna about his plans during the summer vacation, to go to Wales to seek out his father. She would probably call him stupid for going on such a dangerous journey, and try to get him to stay.

The child teacher smiled as he remembered how determined his roommate could be. But she would understand his need to go and at least try to look for his father, and if not, he'd go anyway. It was something he had to do, to make sure for himself that his father could not be found.

Or she could decide to tag along. That thought worried Negi most of all. Any venture to the magic world would be fraught with risk, and as her teacher, he couldn't possibly allow or even expect her to come. She'd be safest here, along with the others, under the care of Dean Konoe and Takamichi.

Negi meditated on the matter as he packed up the papers he had been marking, as well as other items he'd need for the next day's lesson, finally reaching a conclusion. He'd tell her. It'd probably work out for the best anyway. Otherwise, he would have to worry about her sneaking after him or doing something similarly stupid and/or dangerous.

"Yo aniki!" called Chamo, scrambling up the boy's leg and leaping up to his shoulder. "What you thinking?" he asked, lighting one of his ever present cigarettes.

Negi half turned his head in order to bring the ermine into his field of vision. "I was considering whether or not to tell Asuna about the trip," he explained to his old friend, who he hadn't been seeing that much lately come to think of it…

"Oh that, right," nodded Chamo thoughtfully. "Well, she is your partner, your first to boot. She has the right to know, right?"

Negi nodded. "Yes, and that'll make sure she and the others don't worry about me when I leave…"

Chamo hacked a laugh at that.

"Alright, stop them trying to follow me," corrected Negi with an exasperated sigh. Chamo nodded in approval of the child teacher's revised words.

"OK aniki. But you sure you'll be able to deal with any problems that might pop up in the magic world? Having one or two partners may be useful in such a situation," pointed out Chamo, taking a long drag on his smoking cigarette.

Negi paced in a circle around the room, thinking. The sky outside the window had turned dark a long time ago, and he could feel weariness dragging him down. "I understand that Chamo, but I can't take my students! It's just too dangerous."

The small mammal raised an eyebrow. "Unlike your adventures here," he retorted.

Negi had no comeback for that argument.

* * *

Luke blinked. He had actually managed to doze off on a mountainside with nothing but his clothes and a cloak for warmth. That was new. What was more surprising was how warm he felt. Normally, the upper reaches of a mountain would be freezing and dark. And the sky would be a dark blue, not orange…

That got him out of his dozy stupor. The blonde's eyes went wide as he sat up, glancing about. He was in…a tent? He looked about, confused. When did he go into a tent? He looked down, finding himself in a sleeping bag. His situation continued to get stranger.

_OK, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this_ the youth told himself, his mind working over the possibilities. _Probably somebody, out on a late night stroll or on a mountain patrol, found me sleeping and assumed the worst. Being the one of the kind folk who lives around these parts, they decided to take me back to their camp and look after me. _

Yep, that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Though it didn't help with the guilt the boy felt at having worried someone needlessly. Resolving to sort out this mess as soon as possibly, he clambered out the bag and stood up, straightening out his uniform. His cloak had been folded neatly in a corner, amongst some other clothes. Luke retrieved it gratefully and draped it around his shoulders; at ease he now had the garment back. He had had it for a while now, and had grown rather fond of it truth be told.

Checking his appearance one last time, to make sure he hadn't lost anything rather than out of any sense of vanity, he stepped outside. A picturesque camp site greeted him, a roaring fire in the middle, facing the tent. He was in the middle of a small clearing in the woods, as far as he could tell, and several fish had been skewered on sticks which had been set into the ground around the fire.

The smell of cooking food aroused his sense of hunger, and his stomach grumbled to show its dissatisfaction with not having had anything since that drink in that café before the impromptu chase. He really hadn't expected to experience that in Mahora. Last time he'd ran like that, it was ahead of a rampaging horde of Heartless hot on the heels of a fleeing Cygnus, making for the relative safety of Hollow Bastion. Luke shook his head, a grin playing around his face. He wondered how that guy was doing these days. _Probably a lot better than me_, he thought with a chuckle.

"Oh, so you're awake de gozaru," said a voice behind him, startling the boy into turning around.

He got one good look before the gentlemanly part of his mind screamed in indignation at him. "Sorry!" he replied, spinning back around, to spare his host embarrassment and to hide his reaction.

Kaede smiled nonchalantly, holding the damp towel against her body. "Looks like I was wrong de gozaru. When you wouldn't wake up I thought you may have lost consciousness."

"N-no, I'm just a heavy sleeper," explained the boy, still looking out at the dark forest, his mind racing. _Gah, it's only been one year! I am so not ready for this! _

"Oh good," replied the ninja, walking into the tent. Hearing the flap drift closed, Luke breathed a sigh of relief and relinquished his hold on his nose. No blood trickled out. Good start. "What were you doing up here anyway, de gozaru?" asked Kaede from inside the tent, getting dressed.

"Having a walk. Helps me clear my head," replied the boy, flicking out his pocket watch and checking the time. Not out of necessity, but simply finding comfort in the movement.

Inside the tent, the kunoichi smiled. _Interesting indeed…_"Oh? Something bothering you?"

"You could say that," came the youth's answer. "Been a while since I was here. Little's changed."

"You've been here before?" she asked, curious.

"Oh yeah, a long time ago," he said, staring up at the night sky, at all the stars, idly wondering which ones were orbited by worlds he had visited.There was a moment of silence, broken up only by the sound of the crackling fire and chirruping crickets. Luke was staring at the flames, lost in his memories of Mahora. There had been a fire then too, and a deamon. And the Shagohod…god, what a mess he had made of things.

Kaede stepped out of the tent, dressed in a simple training outfit. The boy was standing before her, facing the fire, lost in a world of his own. She walked past him, startling him out of his reverie as she knelt down next to the free and pulled out two fish-on-sticks. She turned around and offered him one. The boy eyed it as he spoke.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I've abused your hospitality enough as it is," he said, smiling apologetically at the girl. Of course, his stomach did not like that, and groaned in protest. The ninja raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly.

"Fine!" he said, taking the roasted fish from her. "Thank you," he added as an afterthought, sitting down where he was, biting into the warm meal.

Kaede looked at him curiously, and turned to face him as she too ate, her back to the fire. The blonde looked up at her studying him, and blushed slightly.

"W-what? I'm not going to try to sewer you with the stick when your back is turned or anything!" he said nervously, chewing on his fish, edging away from the girl.

Kaede suppressed a laugh. "No, it's nothing like that de gozaru. You simply interest me," she replied, still smiling.

Luke knew that smile all too well. It tended to herald either:  
a) Pain, or  
b) Uncomfortable situations.

This was turning into a b) option, which was definitively not what he wanted right now. He looked away, eyes roaming the forest surrounding them as the girl continued to look at him, trying to puzzle him out. The silence continued to grow in awkwardness, a battle of wills between the pair to see who would speak first.

_To hell with that_. "Hmph. What interests you about me then?" he asked, turning back to look at her. He could have sworn the girl's smile widened fractionally. Luke suppressed a gulp as he constantly reminded himself that this was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect stranger to him, and he to her. This was NOT the girl he had known over a year ago. And she did not know him at all.

"Well, several things de gozaru. Firstly, you came up a mountain with no equipment of any kind. Second, your clothes are highly unusual, and thirdly, you haven't asked me for my name, or offered yours de gozaru," explained the ninja, her smile not faltering for a second.

Luke grimaced. She had a point. He stood up slowly, holding the fish between his teeth, biting off another chunk and swallowing it whilst he pretended to think over his answer. "Ah right. I apologize then. I sort of came up here whilst wandering around the campus. I had no intention of staying here until nightfall, but I lost track of time and decided to rest here. Mountaineering in the dark is highly unadvisable after all, right?" He waited for Kaede to nod before continuing. "As for you second point, is it that unusual for someone to be wearing unique clothing? You yourself are wearing a training outfit which looks highly unusual," Luke continued, indicating the girl's clothing as he did so. She glanced down and nodded in admittance. Satisfied with that, the blonde moved onto the final point. "As for the names, well, all this immediacy forced it from my mind, for which I duly apologise. I am Luke Mason," he said with a bow. "And you are…?"

"Kaede Nagase," replied the girl looking up at him, the fire dancing wildly behind her. He couldn't fathom what was running through her mind (never could really) but her look…it was either playful, or predatory. Or even a mixture of both. "And you're a poor liar, Mason-san," she finished, a kunai appearing in her hand.

That's when Luke realised just how much trouble he was in.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Only two revies..? ;_; Guess i deserve it for not updatning then..._

_Blaze Shadow: Funny, the Kestrel is in Belkan War too...He no longer has time magic though. And it just owuldn't be Luke if things went right, right? _

_Tikigod784: I had to beg and researcha bit to find out the basic plots. Then to mix them all and see what comes out is my task alone. I can help you out if you're planning something..._

Chapter Ten: The Hunter and the Hunted…

Chisame's hands blurred as she furiously typed onto the keyboard floating in front of her. Around her, shoals of fish darted about, fighting off various attempts to invade her CPU. Her familiars had scurried off to fulfil her orders, and would soon begin to wreak havoc in the hacker's own computer.

The cyberspace around her was a crystal clear cerulean ocean, with soft gold sand beneath her feet, and vibrant green seaweed growing amidst perfect silver rocks. The net idol smirked. When it came to cyberspace battles, she was the champion. Though most of that was thanks to her artefact, she had to admit grudgingly. Without it, she wouldn't have been able to become the queen of the net idols so easily or so quickly. But now her popularity was millions of hits above that of the competition, and her fandom continued to grow.

Though with great fame came great risk. She had made herself a prime target for those seeking to challenge the best. Various upstart idols had tried to compete against her only to fail. Some had even hired hackers to sabotage her sites. This had to be another one of such attempts.

The girl smirked as she typed out another set of commands, eliminating an incoming Trojan that had made it through her firewall. So far, the enemy had been content to hurl numerous weak-grade viruses at her, ones she had easily countered. Such small fry being sent to take her down…it was almost pitiful. Chisame Hasegawa smirked, knowing her victory was inevitable.

The attacks became more frequent, the hacker probably realizing her skill and trying to overcome her with simple numbers. It would do no good. Issuing computerised commands with years of experience, she quickly and accurately deflected each attack sent her way. The enemy's attention was focused on her. Which meant her attack could slip in unnoticed.

* * *

Hmmm, interesting. The owner of the database was prodigiously skilled. A reaction time of 0.19 seconds, and an extensive knowledge of computer programming and its workings. A most formidable opponent, the first in a long time.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring coldly at the large wall of water which marked the boundary between his operating system and hers. Most interesting. She clearly used little of her computer's potential, focused instead on aesthetics and PhotoShock. The IP address matched that of a net idol too. And yet, she was a highly skilled digital user, someone with the potential to become a legendary hacker in the future.

Inside he rejoiced at coming across her, a chance to finally test himself. Outwardly though, he conveyed no emotion, staring stonily ahead, at the position of his foe. That was probably the most intriguing thing about her. The fact she could enter cyberspace at will as well. He turned around and inspected the three mice-like familiars she had sent after him, pinned against the steel wall by his long and sinuous tail.

He leant in to expect the squirming little creatures, his metal heart having lost ago lost all sense of pity. They were small, with large, soft eyes one would find on a puppy. Their fur was soft and glimmered, and the creatures were roughly the size of tennis balls. He breathed in their scent, the mechanical receptors built into his constructed snout detecting and analysing each particular smell. Faint traces of water, clean, mixed with the oily, greasy, polluted fumes of factories pervaded their fur. Marks of the OS' they have been in. But also…lavender? The girl's shampoo, he guessed. They were more than simple programs, though they were clearly digital creatures.

He hissed, his jaws opening slightly as he exhaled into his preys' faces. His hot breath steamed in the air as he spoke.

"Who is your master?"

The three mice stared back, scared but defiant. He pressed them against the wall a little bit harder, eliciting squeaks of protest. The hacker asked again.

"Who is your master?"

The words were clear and understandable, though lacked emotion. Like the computerised voice of a gadget, they were spoken in a flat monotone, overlaid a harsh grating sound like two sheets of corrugated iron being dragged across each other. The mice shivered as one answered.

"Chiu!" it squeaked in fear, trying to wriggle free. The hacker snorted as he searched his memory banks for such a designation. The blank visor which masked his eyes displayed flickering green numbers as data poured through his mind. The figures froze suddenly as he located the information he required. Snarling slightly, he released the three furry little creatures, watching them fly off swiftly to freedom, back towards the safety of their master's OS.

His static voice, amplified beyond all mortal capability, thundered behind them "Tell that girl the Seeker is coming!" it roared.

* * *

A knight does not lie.

Fate would not have it so.

And he was paying the price.

Throwing himself into a helix spin, Luke flew over the dry ground, watching as both daggers flashed by him. He gulped as he crashed onto the ground, swiftly scrambling back onto his feet and running on. A small part of him couldn't help but appreciate the irony.

He had only managed to avoid that last set of kunai thanks to the training Miss Nagase had dragged him off too, all that time ago. Unfortunately, he hadn't learnt that lesson to its fullest.

And neither had he learnt the lesson about locating the source of the attacks. Living up to her reputation, the kunoichi had vanished into the night as soon as he had bolted, attacking from seemingly every direction at once. Just as he formed the thought, another blade hit the ground between his legs, and the blonde abruptly switched directions, diving into a thicket of brambles on his left before realizing what he'd just done.

The youth leapt out with a yelp, covered in scratches before another dagger convinced him to get going once more.

She was herding him…and toying with him too. He could sense it. This was not how it was meant to go! He had come back for a peaceful life! Not to the receiving end of all the madness! That world wasn't his anymore, he'd left it behind, he was just a human…

Another kunai hissed past in front of his face, and he swung right, still pumping his legs. She was out there, watching him, anticipating his every move…but not considering him as a threat. That ninja had spoken to him about it once, when he'd bothered asking her about demon hunting.

In any fight, it was best to weaken the opponent as much as possible before striking.

That's what she was doing, making him tire himself out before attacking directly…from behind, he added as an afterthought, grinning slightly. Ninja were hardly famous for being honourable fighters after all.

Twigs continued to lash at him as he ran in between the trunks of trees. Crunching leaves underfoot, Luke smiled slightly. In the end, he came back to Mahora because it was the only home he had ever known. Running for his life on the first evening back was the perfect homecoming.

In the end, did he do much else whilst at the Academy the first time around?

Of course, that was when he ran into a tree, promptly knocking himself out. The tree was just as surprised as the youth was. IF it could talk, it wouldn't have said anything, that's how surprised it was.

* * *

Amidst the branches, Kaede Nagase, the kunoichi of class 3A, sighed as she watched the boy keel over into the grass and lie still. A pity. He had been doing well, avoiding her attacks and switching directions swiftly. The makings of a good fighter perhaps. But the lapse in concentration had led to his downfall.

Disappointing. It was hard to find someone like Negi-sensei in her own age range…

That thought stopped her momentarily. What on earth was she thinking about that for?! She had come to the mountains to train and get away form those senseless worries, not to reinforce them! Annoyed at her lapse in concentration, she shook the stray thoughts off and focused on the youth.

She dropped from the branches and landed softly on the ground, making no sound. Making her way over to the young man, she knelt down and placed two fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse. Satisfied when she finally found one, the kunoichi then ran a quick check for any concussion or head injuries. Finding nothing in regards to that, she picked up the youth, glad for her training suddenly as she realised he wasn't exactly light. Totally unlike that time she had found Negi-sensei in the forest.

Though both boys had proven to be entertaining in their own way. Negi was a child, true, but enjoyable company none the less, and this Luke had given her a slight workout. Though she had no idea who he was, he seemed like nothing to worry over. Probably some crazy or maybe even some kind of cosplayer…

Kaede chuckled slightly at the thought. Well, in that case he would have told the truth, and not tried to lie to her. He was inexperienced in it, she could tell. She shrugged as she carried the unconscious boy back to the camp, considering a nice rest followed by another bout of interrogation in the morning.

* * *

Chisame looked up form her work, three of her mice familiars flying towards her, visibly shaken. The net idol frowned slightly as the battle lulled momentarily, the viruses retreating in the face of her skills. The peaceful ocean of her operating system returned to its serenity as the vicious fish that represented the attacks swam away.

"What is it?" she asked, gently, so as to not startle her familiars further. The little creatures all began speaking at once before she quietened them down. "One by one, slowly," she ordered.

"The enemy OS-" started the first.

"-is totally unlike this one!" finished the second, leaving the third to elaborate.

"The hacker, he's in cyberspace too! Calls himself Seeker! He's issued a direct challenge!" squeaked the final mouse, shooting a black look at its compatriots as it did so.

The girl considered this for a moment before smiling. "Then we'll answer his challenge!"

"B-but mistress!"

"Of course, in case of any surprises, it's only wise to summon backup," grinned the net idol evilly, as her artefact glittered.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: I hate schoolwork...And thank you all for your continued support in the form of reviews! It's you lot who keep me writing ^^. THis chapter will ahve no Luke for a change. As it means I can shamelessly use him throughtout the next chapter without worrying about subplots or anything! _

_Nederbird: Sometimes, a cliche is welcome. And hey, running through the woods at night whilst self reflecting? now that's asking for trouble surely? _

_BlazeShadow: Things do go his way...sometimes...maybe. _

_Watch Wannabe: Hopefully this meets your expectations. If not, then I blatanlty will have to write a better one later on in the story..._

_TzuiAssassian: Thanks! :D_

Chapter Eleven: Hel March Under the Sea

The internet is a true marvel, one of the wonders of the modern age. It links us all, helps us learn and teach, to grow, to gain knowledge. Or it corrupts us, betrays our identities, hurts us. The internet is raw power, able to be used for good or for ill, dependant upon who uses it and for what purpose.

And now, the world over, in cafes, rooms, basements, schools, people gathered. Massive network issues had been detected in Japan, the last known location of the infamous "Seek and ye shall find" virus, one of the most efficient and dangerous programs of the modern world. Rumours abounded of its origin, ranging from aliens to secret military projects.

And now something was fighting it. The infected server had been placed under quarantine, but that did not stop the millions of skilled cybers who broke through to watch the programming marvel that was two new-age programs duelling. A virus versus a brand new kind of anti-virus. Some whispered of the "Seek" finally attacking a governmental mainframe, leading to this epic battle, whilst others believed a full scale cyberwar was currently underway.

No matter the truth though, people watched their screens as the programming codes scrolled by, and a carefully orchestrated battle began.

* * *

Floating in an endless ocean, Chisame Hasegawa smiled at her familiars. Kincha, Hanpe, Konnya, Chikuwafu, Negi, Daiko, and Shirataki looked back at her, their little faces set with determination. Behind the seven electronic spirit cluster regiment leaders, shoals of fish were lazily swimming around in circles, representing the idling systems on the net idols computer system.

A horde of tuna, a torrent of useless data, were awaiting her command behind Kincha. He would lead the Dos attack. Of course, in case of the enemy pulling a similar trick, Chisame had prepared a bucket filter program. Shirataki was with the syn flood regiment, a large gathering of swordfish, and Daiko was nervously glancing at his squad of sharks (ADM worms) which were looking at him hungrily.

The rest of the mouse group were arrayed before the school girl, where they would help her coordinate attacks and defenses against this Seeker character. Chisame couldn't help but smile at this turn of events. Her life had begun to get boring lately, what with her dominating the world of net idols. And here was a perfect break from the monotony.

Sitting on nothing, surrounded by screens and keyboards, the girl began typing out instructions, the programs coming to life and moving off according to her orders.

"Mistress, link to enemy OS established!" reported Hanpe, dressed in a chibi military uniform he conjured out of nowhere. Chisame found it wise not to ask, nodding to show she had acknowledged his comment before replying.

"Alright. Send Kincha first. Chikuwafu, you'll be the observer for this. See what we can learn of our enemy."

"Yes mistress," squeaked the little mice, scurrying off, and the shoal of tuna followed them into the cerulean distance. Chisame turned to another of her familiars when chevrons appeared suddenly, the word ALERT plastered boldly upon them in glaring red flashing letters.

"What the…?!" said Chisame, her fingers already dancing madly over the keyboard.

"An enemy attack?! So soon?" remarked Hanpe nervously, the rest of the present mice not looking particularly confident either.

"It's a torrent attack! No wait, two – no, thre-four?!" reported the familiar who had been named Negi. He glanced up at his master. "Ah..erm, we have ten dos attacks incoming simultaneously."

There was an awkward silence.

"Employ the bucket filters! Maximum output!" order the net idol, already shutting down any background programs currently running to save RAM. Ten attacks from different connections…impressive. But also telling. _Indeed_, she thought, pushing up her glasses. _Sending a cheap, quick to produce horde of soldiers early on in the battle, overwhelming the opponent before they have fully established a force of their own or any defensive systems._

_The RTS "Rush" tactic!_

* * *

Standing on a conveniently located outcrop of rock, arms folded in front of his chest, Seeker gazed out across the boundary of his territory, marked by a towering wall of water stretching away in all directions. Behind him, a small base in red colors was churning out new programs with which to attack.

He had modified his operating system to be represented by this a while back. The cyber hadn't bothered changing it back. Normal people would have called it nostalgia, but he preferred the term "waste of time". A squad of conscripts had been sent out, and his war factory was busily churning out hammer tanks. All symbolic of course. Everything was either a program or a virus or an anti-virus given form. The tesla coils, the attack dogs, all mere images representing his great work.

Seeker looked back over his shoulder at the construction yard marking the connection to his personal OS. Should the enemy be able to get at it, he would be booted form this server, and all his work and plans would be naught. His HUD flickered, showing a top down view of the entire server, as if it was a geographical battlefield. He saw his conscripts, a each one a pathetic dos program, encircling the location of that net idol before charging in.

Rushing was a highly developed tactic, based entirely upon catching one's foe unawares whilst they still had no forces. Most of the time, it was an all or nothing gamble, as if the opponent managed to survive or repel the attack, it would leave the attacker vulnerable. Luckily, he had perfected that tactics several years ago. Who said playing computer games was pointless?

A samll beep alerted him to a situation update, and he turned his attention back to the overhead view. His programs were in sight of the enemy, they were getting close…

And as one they all blinked from existence.

Seeker hissed coldly, partly annoyed at his tactic being repelled so easily, partly admiring at the skill of the girl. Looked like he had underestimated her slightly. An overclocked filter was it? If that was the case, a heavier duty virus would have to be sent, he thought to himself, his gaze idly lingering on the tans arrayed before him.

The cyber would have smirked if his static features would have allowed him too. A game which would last longer than five minutes…it had been too long. This warranted something special.

He clicked his claws as the idea struck him, laughter grating in his throat. "Comrades, rejoice! Your lord and master stands on high, playin' Track 3!" he roared out to his army, and the mass of viewers undoubtedly watching the unfurling battle.

And so the music began, the drumming beat reverberating through the false air. The Hell March.

There would be no victory for his opponent now. The juggernaut of his CPU would be unleashed totally against her!

Once he had mustered all his forces that is…

* * *

Chisame allowed herself to sigh slightly in relief. Her filter barriers had done their job well, obliterating the rushing enemy. It had horrible heated up her hard drive though, as could be felt by the marked increase in temperature of the surrounding water.

"Cheap shot," she growled. It was time to take the fight to him, and prove she wasn't a turtler!

"Kincha, Daiko, Shirataki, go!" she ordered, casting her hand out imperiously, the assembled battalions swimming forth at her command. Meanwhile her other hand was almost a blur as she tried to prevent her computer from literally melting down as it handled the exchange of information not even NASA was used to. She may have been no gamer, but she knew enough of cyberlore to know that after a rush the enemy was particularily vulnerable.

However, this Seeker character was undoubtedly a master of such tactics, and had some sort of back up force to defend himself whilst the organized another attack on her. The thing now was to either overwhelm that force with her superior numbers, or at least distract him long enough for her to think of a winning move.

* * *

The watery beasts swam past the boundary, heading straight for his base. The entity known as Seeker stood and watched them approach, not even flinching as the swam through the air, brushing past him.

He "Heh"ed at the sight of three mice leading the charge. With a loud "BZZZT" the tesla towers activated, arcs of lightning striking the fish. The ones to be hit were immediately turned into charred skeletons which were blown away by the wind. However, there were too many for the simple defenses. The torrent files broke through, folled by one or two of the ADM worms.

The sharks swam straight at his construction yard, slamming into it nose first and rebounding away only to be shot by his tanks. Such programs were far too limited, only being able to damage Linux systems. The Seeker had built his own operating system.

One of the swordfish however got lucky, striking his barracks. Immediately a link was opened, surrendering control of the facility to the opponent. She wasted no time in demolishing it, rendering it totally inoperable, whilst remaining a drag on RAM. Seeker could see his units slow fractionally as the computer tried to upkeep with the data.

A tank rumbled past, its turret clogged with tuna. Another was bitten neatly in half by a shark. Seeker stared as the animal spat out the turret of the vehicle, the chunk of programming dissolving away. His gaze flickered uncertainly. This was…strange.

One of the sharks seemed to notice him finally, and swam right at his avatar. Seeker merely sidestepped and the shark hurled past, stopping dead a few feet behind him. And then it exploded into data fragments. The hacker looked down at his metallic claws, noting the dent in one of them where the shark's teeth had managed to bite down.

Now that certainly wasn't right. His actual presence here was armored against any and all cyberspace attacks. How the hell had she –

He had to stop his train of thought there for a moment as another shark tried to bite his head off. He raised a taloned leg and slammed it into the programs nose, sending it flying away into the distance.

Seeker looked up, seeing the information overwhelming his base of operations. And smiled.

With several mental clicks of the mouse, a blue sphere appeared in front of his construction yard, announced by a pleasant female voice reporting: "Chronosphere activated". Out of the phenomena rolled out his ultimate offense. Brute force viruses, amidst the most devastating and feared programs of destruction. So it was only fitting that they were represented here as Apocalypse tanks.

Grabbing the fins of a swordfish, a syn program his identifier informed him, he hurled it into the mass of tuna heading at the vehicles and leapt impossible far to land atop the lead tank.

He stood up, his tail lashing the metal he was standing on and pointed towards the known location of the enemy base. "Roll out!" he roared, the music of the Hell March playing on.

* * *

"My, my, looks like she could be in trouble now! This guy is one heck of a programmer!"

"Estimates of Hasegawa's victory have now fallen to fifty percent."

"Really? Hmmm, and what are the chances of this guy doing something really bad?"

"Define bad."

"Something which would damage my files on the school database? I have a lot of precious research there you know."

"I do. Chances of negative consequences of this hackers victory are ninety nine percent."

"What?! Then don't just stand here, go help her!"

"Understood."

* * *

"Enemy hacking attempts have slowed down!" cried Negi happily. Chisame smiled, though inside she was a bit disappointed. For all his boasting, this Seeker was still a weak low life hacker, thinking he was skilled just because he had busted some codes and mainframes.

"Well then, let's teach him a lesson about challenging the net's top idol!" she said, smiling evilly as she conjured up another hundred shoals of tuna. All of her familiars were gathered before her, full given over to maintaining her computer now the enemy was sufficiently weakened.

Usually, this was the time an experienced hacker would slip some viruses through undetected, when his rival was sure he was no more of a threat. But Chisame Hasegawa was far too intelligent to fall for such a ploy. Which is why she had sent all her familiars to guard against any last-ditch infiltration attempts whilst she dealt with this freak.

Then she heard the music. A deep, bone shaking rhythm, almost militaristic. Looking up at the boundary, she saw something which made her blanch. A brute force virus, in the form of a gigantic tank, rolling at her. And atop it, what could only be described as a humanoid robotic dragon.

Brute force viruses were the monsters of cyberspace. They ground down protection through sheer power. No matter what defenses one had, sooner or later, a brute force would get through. And the only way to stop them was to disconnect.

But with it already within her boundary, meant that any attempt to disconnect would leave her operating system infected. Thinking rapidly, she decided on a course of action and acted upon it. Hurling every last tuna fish she had at the behemoth, she sent orders to her mice.

With a beep, a window showing the disconnecting attempt popped up. A small bar begun to load as each link was systematically turned off and quarantined by her familiars. She looked up at the pile of fish, the torrent data totally covering the brute force virus and the avatar atop it. But it was still inching towards her.

Nervously, Chisame checked the disconnection progress. Almost half done, but it was slowing down as the virus encroached further into her territory. His lag was beating her lag. It was wearing her down, and soon he would conquer her system, allowing him to loot the data within freely, or even to expand, sing her history cache, and infect other systems.

She would not let that happen! She was Chiu, the finest net idol in the world, and a computer expert! With a face set with determination, she once more began typing on the keyboards in front of her, the screens blinking in colors as she inputted data.

Snarling, the smell of fish filling his scent receptors, Seeker burst out from the mound of tuna, spitting out one or two of the damned things that had squirmed into his mouth. He glared across the small distance left between him and his opponent. She looked up suddenly, making eye contact. And smiled victoriously as she pressed a button.

And all the tuna exploded.

Chisame couldn't help but squeal in victory like a little girl, watching the disconnection continue, now about two thirds done.

"Ingenious," growled a voice from the wall of smoke marking the expiry of the brute force virus, all thanks to her programming skills. The net idol looked towards the lazily rolling smoke, seeking the avatar of her adversary.

"But you're out of torrents," he laughed as another nine mammoth tanks rolled from out of the smoke, with him sitting atop the leader.

She simply stared, numb. N-nine brute force programs?! That was generally believed to be the requirement for breaking into classified military files! _Not to mention each one had to be uniquely designed, which in itself took a month…who the hell is this monster?!_

Seeker stood triumphant as his viruses finally reached the girl. With this victory, his dominance of cyberspace would be assured. And any information the girl had could prove useful, especially regarding her programming techniques. Such overpowered torrents were shocking. Perfect for his use!

"Submit, Chiu," he rasped at the girl, standing defiantly before him, though her shaking knees sort of spoiled the dramatic moment. "This is my victory! With this, all your data belongs to me!"

_What do I do? _Thought Chisame to herself, gritting her teeth._ This freak has me outgunned. Only a minute left until disconnection, but it doesn't matter. He'll just override the command and ruin me! What to do, what to do…_

A whistling sound caught her attneiton then. It caught Seeker's too, who looked up over her. "What the..?!"

And the lead tank exploded.

Landing deftly on the next vehicle in line, the dragon warrior growled. "Who are you?!" he demanded, aiming the question over Chisame's head. The net idol looked up, eyes going wide when she saw Chachamaru floating high up, holding onto what could only be described as a tank cannon.

"Chachamaru Karakuri," she answered, pulling the trigger and loosening a hail of shots at the advancing tanks. Each shell hit its mark and blew it apart, leaving the fragments to dissipate.

Chisame felt like cheering as she watched the disconnection process finish, and the world flickered and went dark as they left the server.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" screeched the grating voice of Seeker after them as he was also booted form the server. "I'LL FIND YOU YET!"

"What a sore loser," grumbled Chisame as she fell back into the real world with Chachamaru.

"Indeed. He did not take to his defeat in a manner befitting his skills," agreed the gynoid.

"And what the hell was with that geek's avatar?! He has got to be some sort of otaku, trying to look and act all cool on the net. What a freak!" snapped the net idol, still shaken by her ordeal.

Chachamaru smiled slightly. "Yes. His blatant escapism did make him seem desperate for attention."

"What?! I never said anything like that!"

* * *

He roared in fury, reaching forward and tearing the PC monitor in front of him apart. Panting slightly, as if he'd been running, Seeker snarled as he smashed his clawed fist onto the desk. The metal ruptured under the impact as he bellowed like a caged animal, his tail whipping around frenziedly.

"Chisame Hasegawa….Chachamaru Karakuri…_You. Will. Pay_."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: To make up for last chapter, I give you a rapid update..._

_Tikigod784: Well I couldn't have Grievous and Starscream duking it out again now could I? And thanks, I try my best with villains..._

_TzuiAssassian: DAMMIT. Ah well. Here's more Luke craziness for you then. _

_Watch Wannabe: I've been playing RA3 lately so I thought it'd makea nice reference. Well, we also have Negi and how his preparations to go to the magic world are skewed...and the twins will have their pranks. _

Chapter Twelve: Mornings after are always awkward…

Kazumii Asakura was prowling the streets. That in itself meant trouble. Throw in the fact she was skipping classes, and that trouble could easily be converted into havoc. The reporter had spent many hours the previous night gathering whatever information she could on this strange "Luke" character.

Her computer had almost dissolved too, but then again the school mainframe had been acting up lately. Anyway, what she had found had sent thrills of excitement coursing through her. Whatever it is she had stumbled into, it was either a governmental conspiracy, or a major mage secret!

It had started out innocently enough, her searching the usual places for data on the guy, such as government records, Google, hospital databases, some phone listings…the usual.

Nothing. Zilch, nada. As far as the internet was concerned, a person by the name of "Luke Mason" either did not exist or wasn't worth being concerned about. That hadn't been really shocking truth be told. Relishing this challenge, Asakura began to dig deeper. Matching descriptions, speech mannerisms, anything. That had turned up a lot of data which would let her home in on his personal details.

His speech, accent, British. Yet his demeanour was not as traditional as stereotypes would have led her to believe. Polite speech, almost noble, though tainted with connotations he was obviously familiar with. Strange outfit, militaristic, blue. Several countries had blue uniforms, though nothing that particularly matched the boy's outfit. Probably custom made in that case. Lots of places could have produced it for him though. The pocket watch, gold, unadorned, with a gold chain. A common item, so another dead end.

The reporter had nearly given up when she found it. A small, private site, probably created by a civilian somewhere, caught her eye. Hating to admit she was clutching at straws, she nevertheless clicked on it and began to read. The more she read, the wider her eyes grew. She had stumbled onto something legendary. Literally.

From what the red head gathered, it seemed that "Luke" was somehow linked to a being known simply as the Paladin. Rumours abounded of this figure's origin, but what was known was that around its appearances there was always this one person, this blonde boy, always checking the time on his watch. But the duo's appearances were hard to track down. And neither of them exactly tried to mask their presence. It was as if fate had ordained them to play the supporting cast in whatever event they appeared in. They never took centre stage, always being right on the fringes.

During a civil war somewhere, Luke apparently was a member of the UN forces sent in to restore order. Exactly what happened was still hazy, but it seemed like the guy had gone off on his own the minute they reached the capital city. Listed as a deserter, the forces had posted a warrant for his arrest and moved in on the seat of the government. According to news reports, after a fierce battle with over fifty people wounded, they took the building where the military junta was hiding and taken the enemy leaders prisoner.

But the truth had been hidden. An official document of the incident someone had managed to obtain a copy of revealed there had been no battle. The UN forces marched right in without meeting any resistance. Upon reaching the enemy leaders, they found all of them in shock. A headcount then showed that one of the instigators of the regime was missing. When asked about this, the shaken generals simply mumbled something about a demon and a knight.

Whereas before the reporter would have dismissed such ramblings as a hoax, after being exposed to magic, she wasn't so sure. A picture appeared, apparently snapped by a reporter attached to the UN forces. It was out of focus and rather shaky, displaying some buildings, and leaping between them, what could only be described as an armoured figure. Not Luke, but the Paladin.

Of course, the possibility of those two being one and the same had occurred to her. But she decided to reserve judgement on that. Instead, she had continued reading the site. Things went from strange to bizarre.

Form conjecture, it seemed as if the Paladin was an ageless being in the background, never hiding, but never taking centre stage either. And the boy with the pocket watch was always with him, his dress changed from time to time, but it was undoubtedly the same person. And he had access to time magic.

It was the only thing that made sense to her. Here, a photo form 1945, the soviet assault on Berlin. She could see Luke in the background, playing cards with a couple other soldiers. Another taken by the same source showed the ruins of a tiger tank, a knight silhouetted above it. And then a video from a battleship, where Luke could be seen strolling casually in the background, a sling over his arm. Twenty minutes later, when it came under attack, somebody with a sword could be seen directing the guns, mostly obscured by the smoke. And then another photo, this one from the nineteenth century, showing Luke again, grim faced, standing behind a family which cancelled their tickets for the Titanic. He also had a small scar on the arm that had been bandaged in the photo taken later in the timeline.

Asakura had pretty much been convinced she needed to hunt these guys down. They seemed too interesting to simply always be in the background. And thanks to her, the Paladin would become known throughout the world, along with his partner, Luke. And she would be famous for revealing the shadowy secret of the two background characters.

Finding Luke would lead her to the Paladin. A knight of time, aiding humanity, never expecting reward or even recognition. A true hero.

With her resolve fully determined, Asakura decided to go out and find Luke the next day. Until then, she had painstakingly begun looking all photos taken in Mahora, overcome with curiosity. If he was here, then so was the Paladin. Maybe someone had seen him without realizing it. And also, had the pair visited Mahora at all?

The reporter had been disappointed. Nothing at all amidst the nearly endless supplies of photo material, stretching back to the founding days of the journalism club, showed the pair. Even the special, part magical checker she had downloaded from the mage net found no matches. Eventually she had surrendered to sleep.

And now she was out and about, hunting for her elusive prey. When she found him, she would have the story of the century! No, the story of eternity!

* * *

"I don't care if you are a ninja, I demand my right to a phone call!" said Luke in mild annoyance, glaring at the kunoichi.

"Oh calm down de gozaru. I'll be taking you to the proper authorities soon enough," she replied, finishing her breakfast. "And I've missed classes today because of you too."

"Fine, I apologise for that then. But please, can you let me down?" he begged, swaying slightly.

"No. After you tried to escape the last fifteen times de gozaru, I am not about to give you the benefit of the doubt," she replied nicely, smiling at his suspended form.

Luke just stared back at her sullenly, tied up and hanging upside down from a tree. "I prefer to think that you would act the same way."

"Of course. Though my first attempt would have been successful."

"No doubt," Luke said dryly, letting his gaze wander around the packed up camp. Personal hammer space was a really useful thing to have. Nature hadn't been disturbed, and there was nothing to betray the fact someone had set up camp, had several meals and trained ninja skills here at all. Only to be expected from Miss Nagase, he thought with a small smile.

"Ok, we're going now, said the ninja, standing up and slinging the backpack over her shoulders.

"Finally!" cried Luke in happiness. "I was wondering how much longer I'd have to hang around!" A kunai sliced the rope holding him up. "AACCKK!!"

"That was for the bad pun, de gozaru," explained Kaede with a grin as she watched Luke stand up groggily, rubbing his head. "Now come on, time to go," she said, indicating he should go first.

Sighing in defeat, Luke threw up his freed hands. "Alright, as you wish Miss Nagase. Where are we going anywhere?"

"To see my teacher. He usually knows what's best to do."

"What, that kid?! HAH. Negi's so clueless most of the time…" the youth trailed off, his hearing registering what he was saying. He turned his head.

Kaede was looking at him, eyebrow raised. "And how do you know Negi-sensei, de gozaru?"

"Erm, I ran into him yesterday?"

"Aha. And he happened to tell you he was my teacher?"

"…ok, look, we both know where this is heading, and frankly, I think neither of us wants to repeat last night once more. Can we just go already? I'm cold, stiff and hungry," said Luke dejectedly, walking off, Kaede following.

_At last some maturity_, she thought, smiling. _Though he is still far too open with his thoughts…_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: You know, updating a fic once a day is easier than updating a web comic once a week..._

_Blaze Shadow: Well, I do have to make sure this fic has a plot, and not just a collection of jokes (which it currently isn't I know...)_

_The Ansem Man: Seeker doesn't get much time this early on. He has his own full story though..._

_Watch Wannabe: It was from RA2, but simply because I played RA3. Negima timeline is in about 2001, so only RA2 would have been out...And this chapter answers your first question. As for the second one, chase sequences will be appearing but in different guises. (YAY for listening to BEnny Hill theme for too long .)_

Chapter Thirteen: Point of divergence

Negi sighed in tired thankfulness. The class was getting rowdier and rowdier as the holidays approached, even though they were still about a month away. Luckily, no strip attacks had been attempted on him today, though things boded ill for next week.

The girls had filed out into the corridors, and were slowly heading off to their dormitories or club rooms. Suddenly remembering what he was supposed to do, Negi swiftly packed up his teaching equipment, crushing an unfortunate Chamo who had been sleeping at the bottom before bounding out the door.

He ran down the corridor, exchanging greetings with fellow staff members who passed by him, heading to the teachers lounge. With a short apology, he dodged between two male teachers who pressed themselves against the walls of the corridor to avoid the child teacher.

"He's certainly hurrying somewhere today, isn't he?" observed Takahata with a smile as he turned to the man he had been conversing with before Negi flew past them.

"Strange. There's no mob of girls chasing him either," noted Serizawa, looking up and down the corridor in surprise. "That's unusual…" he murmured, shrugging and continuing to walk down the hallway with Professor Takahata.

Negi skidded to a halt as he saw the person he wanted to speak to. "Asuna!"

His roommate, the last in a procession of girls going down the stairs towards the main exit from the building., turned to face him. The boy was panting slightly after his sudden dash, and he hopped down the stair to stand before his friend and partner. Negi took a moment to catch his breath before straightening himself and smiling at her.

"Alright, what do you want?" asked Asuna, slightly curious as to what made her teacher rush out the classroom after her, instead of just telling her back at their dormitory.

"Asuna, you know how I'm searching for my father?" began Negi, his face serious. His partner's face registered sudden shock at his blunt speech, but she nodded, paying careful attention. "Well, seeing how things have been going…I've decided to-"

"Professor?" interrupted a voice. Both teacher and student turned to face the speaker. At the bottom of the stairs, coming up to meet them, was Kaede.

Negi blinked in surprise. "Kaede? H-how come you weren't in class today?"

The kunoichi paused momentarily, smiling nonchalantly. "Oh, that's why I'm here to see you professor," she answered innocently, tugging at something out of their field of vision. "It's because of him actually, de gozaru," revealed the ninja as a blonde boy was dragged out into their scrutiny.

Asuna blinked. "Wait, you were late because of him how..?" she asked before Negi could, his eyes wide at his student's audacity, actually bringing a boy to the girls school.

"He kept me up all night de gozaru," answered Kaede, still smiling playful. Negi and Asuna blinked and shared a glance before turning slightly red. Kaede said nothing.

"Sheesh, sorry for trying to escape then," sighed Luke, throwing his hands into the air. "Honestly! I'm out and about, minding my own business when this girl kidnaps me and uses me for target practice!" he said, shooting said girl a black look. "Now if you don't mind, I'll take my leave," he finished, walking off.

"Nice try de gozaru," complimented the ninja girl as she stepped on his cloak, pinning the youth in place. "Actually professor, I was wondering if you knew of any truth potions or spells that you could use to convince him to be more open."

Asuna turned to Negi, at a loss how to react to this sudden development. The child teacher simply stared at the pair before something suddenly clicked. "Inspector Luke!"

"WHAT?!" burst out Asuna, Kaede's reaction less vocal but still surprised.

"Eheheh, hello again Professor," smiled the blonde weakly, a sinking feeling telling him exactly where this was going. "Didn't expect to see you so soon."

Negi stared incredulously at the boy. Then he turned to Kaede. "What did he do?!"

"He's just been telling lies, and my usual methods unfortunately cannot convince him to act otherwise de gozaru," was his reply.

Asuna simply looked at the trio. "Hang on, WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!" she demanded, pointing at the funnily dressed teenager. He blinked as she abed the pointing finger at his face for emphasis.

"Ah, this is Luke, a young inspector who's just moved here," explained Negi, laughing nervously at Asuna's black mood for having been left out. His laughter died as Kaede shook her head.

"No, he's a liar de gozaru. He knows far too much about us for a mere mundane," she explained, turning to look at Luke with her smile still present. "Isn't that right?"

"I have no idea what you mean," replied Luke with an annoyed huff, folding his arms. "I'm the victim here, not the threat." His expression turned into a grimace of surprised pain as the ninja slammed her foot onto his. Negi and Asuna sweatdropped as the blonde hopped around, holding his damaged foot, cursing all the while.

"So how does one force somebody to tell the truth in the magic world, de gozaru?" asked Kaede once more, turning back to her teacher.

Negi seemed at a loss for words. Events had just rapidly spun out of control, and he was, frankly, out of his depth. "I-I think we should see the headmaster about this," he suggested lamely.

Kaede's expression seemed to turn into a pout momentarily. "But of course Professor. I was just wondering if there was any way to ascertain what he was lying about. If it is something major, then we take him to the dean. If it's minor, I'll deal with him myself for wasting my time."

There was an awkward silence.

"Um…yeah, sure. I guess I could use that memory spell – What's so funny?" Negi asked, turning to Luke who had stopped hopping long enough to burst out into laughter. Asuna by this time had come to the conclusion that this random blonde guy was utterly insane, and should be kept at a distance. Kaede was simply standing there calmly, pinning the youth's cloak to the ground to prevent him running off. Why the hell he didn't just undo the cloak clasp was a mystery to the red baka ranger.

"Sorry, but Ok, I'll play along this time," answered Luke, grinning broadly. Frankly, there was no chance of him getting out of this spiral of trouble, so might as well speed it up to see it over and done with. He'd had enough of running. They'd check his memory, decide he was insane, a threat, or both, and have him arrested or something pending further investigation. Meh, not like he'd had anything important planned for his stay at Mahora.

The others looked at him with suspicion, confusion, and composed mirth, according to their personality. Eventually, the staring passed the realm of strangeness and into awkward territory.

"So…we going or what?" asked Luke with a smile, knowing it was for the best. He was supposed to be honest after all…and also, the sooner this was dealt with, the sooner he'd end the stupid façade of being just another stranger with unexplained powers at Mahora. And a good thing too, because that routine was beginning to bore him.

"Ah, professor, sorry I wasn't in class!" cried a voice as someone ran up the stairs to join the little group. "I was just- Ehhh?! Luke?! What are you doing here? I've spent all morning looking for you!" exclaimed Asakura.

The blonde's smile froze as everyone stared at him.

_Maybe this ISN'T such a good idea…_

The grinding noise was horrific, but the gears did not move. Staring at the spanner shoved unceremoniously into the fine machinations of Fate, he just grinned.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Yay for references and cameos galore! _

Chapter Fourteen: WHAT?!

"Ok, all ready now," announced Negi, stepping back from the runic circle he had sketched on the floor of his dormitory. Luke sat in the middle of it, slightly bored. And a little bit alarmed by the amount of weaponry pointing his way.

"Now don't try anything funny, you hear?" threatened Asuna, jabbing the point of her sword into the youth's face. Gulping slightly, Luke just nodded. Satisfied, the schoolgirl turned to the mage. "So how do we go about this then?"

"Well usually a mage simply sends himself and anybody with him into a specific memory of a persons mind, and watches it play out from a good vantage point. However, that's only good for dreams or if a particular memory is being triggered."

"Then how do we trigger his memories regarding recognition of us, de gozaru?" asked Kaede, also part of this little adventure.

Negi opened his mouth, but it was Luke who answered. "Perhaps being here? Or you diving into my mind?" he suggested, shifting slightly. Typical of them to tie him up in the most uncomfortable way possible.

"That would work," agreed Negi, lifting his staff. "So we ready for this?"

"And why can't I go?" demanded Asakura in annoyance, glaring at the trio.

Asuna rolled her eyes as Negi proceeded to explain. "We agreed to this. We deal with Luke now. If he's a problem, we take him to the dean, if not, we hand him over to you."

"But if he's a problem he's more of an exciting story!"

"Hmm, true. Then we'll let you interrogate him before we take him to the dean then de gozaru," offered Kaede.

"Hmm, deal," replied the reporter.

"ANYWAY, can we get going now?!" interrupted Asuna loudly. "I'm getting bored of waiting here. Negi!"

"Right!" answered the boy, swiftly incanting the spell. Slowly, the runes began to light up, engulfing the room in a crimson glow. And with a crack, they entered Luke's mind.

* * *

Negi opened his eyes. "Well, that was…different…" he groaned, sitting up, rubbing his head. Beside him Asuna was face down on the ground, radiating anger, and Kaede was standing in front of him, inspecting the small billboard. "W-where are we?" he asked, standing up and looking around. They appeared to be in a gigantic library, stretching away from them in all directions. Behind them, a set of stained glass windows illuminated the interior of the building.

Negi blinked in astonishment as Asuna finally stood up as well, her anger melting away to be replaced with wonder. Kaede returned to them, her usual smile still present, though it was tinged with awe. "A most interesting memory," she commented.

"Not a memory," corrected Luke, coming out of a aisle of bookshelves. Dressed in jeans and a white shirt over which he wore a black jacket, he looked a lot more like an ordinary teenager. "Call this a collection if you will."

"A collection of what?!" asked Asuna, still staring at the seemingly endless rows of books.

"And why are you here de gozaru?" queried Kaede more importantly, raising an eyebrow at the youth's appearance.

Blushing slightly under her scrutiny, the blonde tugged at his jacket. "Well, I AM conscious whilst your doing this, so I might as well guide you to the memories you want. No offence, but I don't trust you to start rummaging around in my head. It's personal property after all."

"Hmph, fine. Go on then, lead on," huffed Asuna, corssing her arms in front of her chest. Negi simply looked from Kaede to Asuna to Luke, then back to Kaede. He'd lost all control of this situation, not that he'd ever really had any.

Luke sighed and shrugged. "Yes, yes. We'll come on then." He beckoned for them to follow and set off. Not having much of a choice, the intrepid adventurers followed.

The walked away from the windows and into the dusty corridors of books, winding seemingly at random. Negi was put in mind of Library Island, and shuddered slightly as he remembered the various traps that had been located there.

Though this place seemed to be far more...decorated than Library Island. They passed numerous astounding pieces of art, hanging on blank spaces in between shelves. Negi couldn't help but gawk at them as they passed. Kaede paid them no mind, and Asuna was glaring daggers at their guide's back. The blonde glanced now and then over his shoulder, to make sure he hadn't left behind anyone as he made his way deep into the heart of his mind.

"What's this, de gozaru?" Kaede asked suddenly, coming to a stop next to one of the paintings, leaning in to study it in more detail. Negi and Asuna crowded around her to see what had caught her attention.

"What does it look like?" smirked Luke behind them. "It's a memory. An image in this case true, created during an intense or memorable event, one which leaves a vivid imprint behind."

The three Mahora denizens looked at the painting, depicting a great ship ploughing through the ocean. An aircraft carrier Negi realized, seeing the planes on its deck. The white lettering on the side of the ship proclaimed it to be the _Kestrel_.

Kaede looked back at their guide. "So every painting has a story, de gozaru?"she asked.

"Quite. But you're not here for that, so let's move on, shall we?"

"What on earth is that?!" interrupted Asuna, pointing at another painting opposite their current location. Luke turned and squinted at it before replying.

"That would be the Death Star."

There was a momentarily pause.

"That film had a big effect on you as a child didn't it?" remarked Asuna snidely.

Luke shrugged in response. "Believe what you want." Then he began walking again, and they followed him on, though Negi still looked at the paintings on display around him. One displayed a dragon, giving its heart to a prince. Another showed a girl with horns crying in a room stained with blood. Negi chose not to look at that one too closely, letting his eyes move onto the next in line. It displayed a funny blue box, the words "Police Box" clearly visibly on a black stripe running around its top. Yet another painting showed what looked like a transformer, and the one across from it portrayed a giant featureless ogre made of darkness, about to crush what Negi could have sworn was Mickey Mouse holding a giant key.

"Hey, what's with that one?" said Asuna, drawing everyone's attention to a frame that had been covered with a small curtain.

"That's privacy," replied Luke dryly. "Some things I DO prefer to keep to myself," he explained.

"Your dirt thoughts?" summarised Kaede.

"Yes-No! Dammit!" cursed Luke, flushing red as he buried his face in his hands. "Look, let's just get – WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Asuna, who had crept up to the painting and had lifted the corner of the curtain to peek beneath it, let it drop back down sheepishly. "Erm...sorry?"

Luke was next to her in a flash, and conjured a staple gun out of nowhere, before proceeding to staple down the curtain. "Honestly, I say don't look please and you have to go look. You people never change…" he grumbled, whilst Negi and Kaede stared at Asuna, who simply shrugged in response.

"Well…anyway, where is this thing we're looking for?" asked Negi.

Luke turned to face him, thinking. Then he snapped his fingers as he answered. "Three rows above you, fifth form the left. The blue one."

Negi turned to look at the book the youth had mentioned, only to find it already in Kaede's hands. There was no title, no fancy lettering, nothing.

"Is this really it?" asked Negi, eyeing Luke suspiciously.

"Yeah. Go on, knock yourselves out. I've got some spring cleaning to do anyway."

"In your mind?!" burst out Asuna incredulously, as Kaede flipped the book open and began to scan its pages, leaning down slightly to allow her professor to also see what was written.

"Yes. The vault needs some restocking, and the tracks for my train of thought have to be fixed again," replied the blonde, walking off. "If you get bored, feel free to look around. I've taken care of censoring the private parts."

"Wait!" called out Asuna, but Luke had already vanished. "Gee that dork is really annoying! Where did you find him anyway?"

"Antiques store/ Mountain side," replied Negi and Kaede in unison, leaving Asuna to stare at them before sighing in resignation and walking over to where they were reading the book, and joining in too.

* * *

An intermediate of time passed before they finally finished reading. Luke had not yet returned, so the trio huddled together to discuss their findings.

"Well?" began Negi.

"He's an idiot," summarised Asuna.

Kaede nodded. "Despite that though, he seems to have good intentions."

Negi nodded. "My assessment exactly. Though possibly a deception, after the Mahorafest I am inclined to believe him. He seems like the honourable type."

"Not like that's helped him any," pointed out Asuna, causing Kaede to grin in agreement.

"Yes true. But in the end, he has no innate power of his own, just artefacts and enchanted items. Without them, he's a normal mundane. Plus he seems to just want to settle down."

"Perhaps, de gozaru," replied Kaede. "Makes one wonder about those paintings too. Where they actual events for him?"

"Well, he let us delve into his mind freely, with minimal censorship…" continued Negi. "I think its safe to let him go. It seems the headmaster is already aware of his presence here."

Remembering the last sections of the book they had read, the ones still being written as they were read, the two girls nodded.

"So what do we do? Let him go, de gozaru?"

"Yes, though I think keeping an eye on him would be for the best," said Negi.

"I'll do it," volunteered Kaede.

"Yeah, with your ninja skills it'd probably be easiest," admitted Asuna, Negi concurring.

"Then we're decided."

"About time too. I was getting bored," sighed Luke from behind them. Negi jumped in surprise, whilst Asuna spun to face him, and Kaede simply threw a kunai in his direction. "OW!"

"You should know better than to sneak up on us, de gozaru," said Kaede conversationally as Luke prodded the dagger sticking out of his throat.

"Right, right. My fault ok. So satisfied? Can we leave now?"

"Yes," said Negi, beginning the incantation. Asuna put her hands on her hips as she waited for her roommate to finish his casting, and Kaede let her eyes wander around the library one last time until they fell upon a gigantic steel bulkhead, yawning open, revealing a steel containment room beyond. "What was that for?" she asked as they faded away, back to the real world.

"My past," she heard Luke reply before she felt the floor of her professor's dormitory beneath her again.

* * *

Standing up wobbly, Luke executed a shoddy bow to them all "Thank you for that. May I take my leave now?"

Negi nodded. "Yes. But we will be keeping an eye on you, understood? Any funny business, we will take you straight to the headmaster," he warned.

"Ok, ok," groaned Luke as he made his way out, only to be stopped by a vice-like grip on his shoulder. His head snapped from side to side to see what it was. On his left was Asakura, with a cold smile.

"My turn now!" she said happily. "What do you know about the Paladin?"


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Because everyone wanted to know exactly what the twins had set up..._

_Ansem: Well, I told you about the KH fiasco, even if in passing..._

_Tzui: Maybe they still will ;) _

_Blaze: Well, think of it as him going with the party when they entered his mind. _

Chapter Fifteen: Traps and Knights

"Hmm, we'll need some privacy for this though. Can't let anyone know you're here…" mused Asakura, tapping her pencil against her chin as she pondered the problem, her grip on Luke's shoulder still tight.

"How about my room, de gozaru?" suggested Kaede suddenly. "it's close by, we can let the professor clean up, and he won't be seeing anything he hasn't seen before," she continued, offering the reasons in an off hand way as she opened the door.

Asakura turned to her teacher, who was already scrubbing at the runes drawn on the floor with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water along with Asuna. He looked up at her and nodded, smiling cheerily.

"Alright then," she said, dragging the blonde out of the dormitory. "See ya professor!" the reporter added as Kaede closed the door behind them.

"You really think it's ok to just let that guy go?" asked Asuna as soon as the door shut, looking at Negi frankly.

"Yes. He may be suspicious, but so far he hasn't acted in anyway to signify a threat. I think it's prudent to give him the benefit of the doubt," replied her teacher, furiously rubbing the sponge against the floor, the first rune slowly beginning to disappear. "And besides, with Kaede watching him, I doubt he'll try anything."

To his surprise Asuna actually laughed at that. "Oh yes, she volunteered for that didn't she? I'd thought he'd have complained more," she commented with a grin as she too scrubbed the floor.

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, just a hunch," answered the baka ranger with a glint in her eye, the memory of the painting she had peeked at fresh in her mind.

* * *

The three of them paused in front of the door momentarily.

"Kaede, just what did you mean when you said he wouldn't bee seeing anything he hasn't seen before in your room?" queried Asakura deviously, her reporter sense tingling. "Been having an illicit tryst in the evenings have you?" Luke and Kaede shared a look before bursting out in laughter. "What?!"

"Ah, I believe the professor will have to explain that one de gozaru," said Kaede, opening the door, letting Luke enter first, never letting him out of her sight.

"Yeah. Trust me, any kind of romantic relationship with this kunoichi is bound to end in pain," the blonde laughed as he hit the trip wire. He froze, the two girls outside noticing it at the same time.

The wire pulled on a wooden block, removing it from beneath a shelf, causing it to tilt. This is turn, made the bowling ball atop it roll down the gradient and hit a whoopee cushion plugged by a cork. The cork flew out amidst a loud farting noise and struck a paddle wheel at the other end of the room. The wheel spun crazily, reeling in the string which ran straight up then looped back down, its end tied ot a tiny bucket. That rose until it hit another shelf, causing that to tilt, and the marble to roll down its length and drop into a funnel, before falling through a piece of wood resting atop a desk. When the marble hit the very end of the wood, the material pivoted on the desk edge, hurling a pie at the doorway, which struck Luke straight in the face. A dart was also launched, which hit the string next to the doorway and severed it. And the whole debacle was finished off with a bag of smoke powder crashing onto the blonde's head.

"We did it!" cheered the twins, leaping up from behind the sofa where they had hidden, giving each other a high five and grinning wickedly at the door.

"How does that feel Kaede?" asked Fuka snidely.

"Looks like we've finally got one on you!" added Fumika in childish glee.

However, the twins' impish grins faded away when Kaede walked into the room, side stepping the heap on the floor. "Not yet, de gozaru," she smiled at them. "Better luck next time."

"You ok?" asked Asakura, crouching down next to what could only be assumed was Luke.

"All thing's considered, I'm fine," he said, sitting up0. He was now dyed totally pink, from his hair and skin to his clothes. Curiously, he wiped some cream off his face and tasted it. "Mmm, vanilla. Good choice," he nodded, standing up. He grabbed a handful of his cloak and wiped his face clean of pastry, but the dye refused to shift. Giving up, he stomped over to the couch, the twins scuttling away form him with an "Eeep!" and collapsed into it gratefully.

"Thanks for letting us use this room by the way," thanked the now-pink Luke with a tilt of his head in the ninja girl's direction.

"I figured you'd feel quite at home here," countered Kaede with a smile as she closed the door and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Seriously, what are you on about?" asked Asakura hungrily, looking form the boy to the girl.

Luke waved off the question. "I happened to live in this room once, a long time ago. Now anyway, you wanted an interview?" he reminded the reporter, who immediately switched her undivided attention to him, a process similar to a sentry gun acquiring a target.

"Yes of course," Asakura replied, walking over and sitting on the couch next to him, all professional. A notepad appeared in one hand, whilst she twirled a pencil in her other. "Now, I've done some digging on you already, 'Inspector'," she smirked. "Interpol Criminal ID 36215, wanted for unspecified reasons."

"My, my, we are well informed aren't we?" commented Luke nonchalantly as Kaede sat down on the chair next to her desk, toying with a kunai in her hands. Keeping in mind that she would hurl it at him if given the slightest provocation, the blonde decided not to make any sudden movements. "I'm pretty sure you know what they want me for anyway."

"Wait, this guy's a CRIMINAL!?" burst out Fumika, pointing accusingly at the pink blonde, her eyes wide. Fuka was next to her, holding some throwing stars for self defence.

"Gaah!" cried out Luke as a hurled star embedded itself next to his head. Ina single move he flipped backwards, over the top of the sofa and crouching behind it, his head popping up here and there over its edge as the twins began hurling more stars at him. Asakura had dived off the sofa and had had covered her head as she lay prone on the floor.

Kaede simply sighed at the antics, and stood up. "That'll be enough you two," she said softly, the twins immediately freezing mid-throw, glancing at her quizzically. "Run along now, de gozaru. We have business to discuss."

"But…but…he's a bad man!" stammered out Fumika, Fuka nodding vigorously next to her.

"Bad man?" repeated Luke, sharing a glance with Asakura, who just shrugged.

"You seem more of a neutral guy to me," she supplied.

"Gee thanks."

"So he got caught for stealing once, he's reformed now, and Asakura just wants me around in case he tries anything, de gozaru," explained Kaede, coming up with a totally ridiculous explanation in no time flat.

"But then why would Interpol have a file on him?" asked Fuka.

"Because they have files on all criminals in the world, no matter how trivial their crimes?" suggested Asakura. The twins shared a look, before nodding their heads in acknowledgement, though not totally convinced. As they were ushered outside by their roommate, both interviewer and interviewee returned to their positions, though now and again Luke would shift uncomfortable and pluck out a shuriken form the ragged surface of the sofa.

"Right, bas I said, I've been doing some research around you," began Asakura again, Kaede returning and sitting down back on her chair, watching the pair intently. Now and again she'd notice Luke's eyes look straight at her, but she paid it no mind. "And I'm going to be blunt. Are you a time traveller?"

Luke didn't react in any overt way. "Was. And it wasn't just time, realities too."

"Really?!" replied the reporter, her pen scribbling furiously. "What was that like?"

"A chore," Luke answered truthfully, running a hand through his now light pink hair.

"Huh?!" exclaimed the red head, looking at him in shock. "The sort of freedom, power, adventure…didn't that appeal to you?!"

"Not really, and I never wanted to be able to travel like that. I was simply dragged along," shrugged the boy.

"By who?"

"An incarnation of Fate."

There was a moment of silence.

"This…is going to take a lot of explaining isn't it?" sighed Luke. He turned to Kaede. "Care to do the honours? You can put it in a way which would be easiest to understand."

"Why thank you de gozaru," said the ninja, turning to her classmate. "Basically…"


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Well, shorter than usual I will admit. I apologise. All I can offer instead is a concept of Maiden which will shortly be up on my dA account..._

Chapter Sixteen: The Knight's Tale

Asakura sat there, reading over her notes once more to ensure she had her facts right. "Let me get this straight," she began. "You, Luke Mason, ordinary teenager, came to this school two days ago."

"That's right," answered the youth, bobbing his head. Kaede stifled a small laugh at seeing the blonde act in such a manner.

"You ended up going to the dean to officially transfer in, and was assigned to this room," continued the reporter, her eyes flickering to Luke, who continually nodded as she read out each point of his story. Most of it had been collaborated by Kaede, who had been in his mind and had seen his memories for herself. "You did so, and so began your life at Mahora. You went to lessons to the boys division, and were in the same class as Kotaro."

"Yep."

"After about a month of life here, a group of mercenaries attacked the school?"

"Indeed," said the blonde youth. "A quite unpleasant bunch to be honest."

"During the attack, half of the campus was destroyed, and casualties suffered on both sides," read Asakura, before she looked up at Luke frankly. "So why did they attack?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know, I was just a bystander."

"Right. And the fact that one of them, this Clockwork guy, was killed by Kaede, with minor assistance from you and some avatar of Fate called Darkside, is what ignited the whole time/portal storm thingy?"

"That's about it de gozaru," nodded Kaede, sipping her drink, doing some homework with her free hand.

"And with the help of this avatar," said Asakura, disregarding Kaede's comment as she operated in full reporter mode, "you eventually found your way home after…blundering through time, as you put it?"

"That's about the gist of it."

"…well, Haruna would love this story. She'd probably use it in one of her mangas…" guessed Asakura, standing up, flipping her notepad shut and stowing her pencil away. "Well, thanks then. I think that's about everything," she added, slinging her bag over her shoulder and offering Luke her hand in thanks. To her surprise he took it in his, and bowing slightly, kissed it. "My, a proper gentleman," giggled Asakura.

Kaede shook her head in exasperation. "Honestly de gozaru, you're overdoing it," she commented from her seat.

Luke shot her a look. "I was just being friendly."

Asakura grinned slyly. "If that's you friendly, it almost makes me wonder what you're like when you're being romantic."

"W-what?!"

Kaede laughed out loud as Luke turned slightly red. "Asakura, stop teasing him. I don't think he's used to it."

The reporter faked a pout before also laughing. "True. Well, I should be going, see ya!" she said, sending them a peace sign as she opened the door. "Oh, I almost forgot," she paused momentarily, spinning around to face Luke once more. "Who's the Paladin?"

"Eh?" replied the pink boy, tilting his head quizzically. "Paladin? Can't say I've met any."

"Oh, forget it then," the red head smiled as she closed the door. "You two enjoy yourselves now~" she quickly added before snapping it shut.

There was a moment of silence.

"So shall we..?" offered Kaede with a teasing smile.

"Oh, don't YOU start too!" groaned Luke, getting off the sofa. The ninja stood up as well. He looked at her. "Look, I'm heading off for tonight. From what I gather you're not required to follow me twenty-four hours a day."

"Oh de gozaru, what makes you say that?"

"Well let's see," began Luke, ticking off the reasons on his hand. "You have classes to attend, looking after the twins from time to time, baka ranger meetings, and demon hunts. Anything else?" he said with a raised eyebrow at the girl.

"I can just have one of my shadow copies do that whilst I keep an eye on you," Kaed pointed out, tapping him on the shoulder. Luke spun around to see the girl behind him, even though she hadn't moved away from the desk.

"…Alright, I'll hand you that one," he said sourly, flipping out his watch. He opened it and checked the time before snapping it shut. "Well, it's getting late. I'd better be going…"

"Where? I wasn't aware you'd taken care of lodgings for yourself, de gozaru," revealed the first Kaede, sitting back down on the seat by the desk.

"…Ok, I can see where this is going, and no. I refuse to stay here," answered Luke, glancing from one ninja to the other. The copy truly was magnificent. He couldn't tell them apart at all…

"Aww," sighed the girl standing softly, still smiling. "Why not de gozaru?"

"I won't even bother giving you reasons," groaned Luke, walking past her and heading for the door. The youth paused momentarily, his hand inches from the doorknob. "Although…"

Whatever he had been going to say next would never be known unfortunately. At exactly that moment, the door was flung open, slamming the pink dyed teenager against the wall and trapping him there. The twins bounded into the room, crowding around Kaede, who had dismissed her shadow copy as soon as the door had begun to move.

The small girls immediately proceeded to bombard their roommate with questions as the door to their dormitory swung shut, revealing a crushed Luke behind it, who slid down to the floor.

Kaede managed to quieten the twins down, and the trio looked at the crumpled up pink youth resting against their wall.

The three girls just grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Nothing to say. ._

_Ansem: This is what Luke's saying though. Expect bias and twisting of facts. (Because "I killed Chisame" is not a good thing to say under any circumstances) _

_Blaze: That was the point :P _

_Kafka: One liners are always fun! _

Chapter Seventeen: Living Space

_Go to Mahora. Go to the World Tree. Be on time. Remember._

_You know it's not normal right?_

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing…_

_Many legends surround the tree, tales of promise and love…_

_So that's it. My past traded for a future with Kaede? Is that what you meant Wilhelm?_

_Poor child. Weak and helpless…_

_I get that a lot. I'm a Corsair. I'm Luke. I'm Ezekyle__. I'm Clockwork._

He awoke with a start, sitting up sharply with a yelp of remembered pain. His hand flew to the scar over his right eye, feeling the magically healed wound beneath his fingertips. It had been a minor miracle the blade hadn't sliced his eyeball.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Luke looked about. He felt a momentarily feeling of dislocation. He was in Miss Nagase's dormitory, on the couch, and bright, cheery sunlight was pouring through the windows.

"Ah, so you're awake, de gozaru," greeted the girl in question, coming in from the kitchen. She was dressed in her school uniform, and was carrying her bag.

Luke nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. His heart was beating rapidly, still not relaxed after that nightmare. He hadn't had dreams since…well, a long time ago. He shivered suddenly as a gust of wind struck him, making his skin prickle. Wait, what?!

The blonde looked down, noting he was bare-chested. Blinking in surprise, he turned to Kaede.

"We had your things washed de gozaru," she explained, pointing to his uniform, now a vibrant blue, as fresh as they day it had been handed to him. "No need to thank me."

Still not saying anything, Luke just nodded as he stood up and retrieved his clothes. Well, at least he wasn't naked, what with his underwear still on. Kaede watched him go over to his belongings and swiftly begin dressing himself. She was quietly impressed. He obviously kept himself in shape, but what was truly astounding was the amount of scars over his body. A long, jagged slash ran down his thigh, and three diagonal cuts were clearly visible on his right shoulder. Small cuts were also faintly visibly on his back, and then he slid on his shirt, obscuring it from her view.

Luke turned around and caught her eye. "Well, thank you anyway. And thanks for letting me stay here." There was a pause before he continued. "Have a good day at school, and until we meet again," the youth nodded, walking past her and out the door. He closed it behind him, his face clouding over.

_Too close. I need to find my one place fast. I won't let anything repeat itself. I cannot. _

"Hmm, you seem grim all of a sudden, de gozaru," smiled Kaede, patting him on the back reassuringly.

"GAH!" cried out Luke, leaping three feet into the air. "But you were- I mean…" he stammered, waving at the door and then at the corridor. The girl just smiled at him in response before it hit him. "Right, ninja. Forgot," he admitted sheepishly.

"So shall we get going?" asked Kaede sweetly, though knowing her, there was bound to be some sort of undertone of menace or a hidden message or something.

"I'm NOT going to your school."

"I wasn't suggesting that, de gozaru."

"…good."

And so the pair walked off in silence, Kaede smiling as always, and Luke looking sour. Back in the room, the twins popped up form their hiding places, giggling evilly.

"Everything's in place!" chirruped Fumika.

"And we never left a single trace!" rhymed Fuka, high-fiving her twin.

* * *

"Allow me to clarify," said Serac coldly. "Fate's plans have actually been…sent on a tangent?" he asked, his emotionless voice conveying the disbelief.

Darkside looked his brother in the eye as he replied. "Yes. And they did it rather poetically too. Literally throwing a spanner in the works."

Around them, the meeting room of the Talons was silent. Only their marks glowed on the central table. The other three where busy doing something or other.

Serac stood silent for a moment. "So this is now under my jurisdiction," he concluded finally. Darkside nodded, remembering with a pang of annoyance the shredded tapestry he had been working on, displaying the life of Mahora. The trip to the magic world had been ruined now.

"Could your Luke have had anything to do with it?"

"I returned him with minimal disturbance. From what I gathered, he was unwilling to become engaged with 3A again," explained the Talon in blue robes, tapping the brim of his ochre wizard hat.

"But he has," pointed out Fate's enforcer.

"Not out of choice. He submitted to Fate's dominion, remember?"

"Indeed," replied Serac thoughtfully. "We must salvage what we can from this. Have all the Fateweavers continue their tasks. But we have one major alteration to implement," he ordered.

"Which would be?"

"A magic world crisis is beyond us. Therefore, we will have to organise a mundane one," answered the Enforcer, as he picked up his item from the table and vanished into the darkness. Darkside stared at the spot vacated by his brother for a moment longer before picking up his golden needle and vanishing as well.

* * *

"This is where we part ways," announced Luke with a sweeping bow to Kaede. They were at a crossroads, one path leading to the train station which would take the girl to school, and the other leading to town where the boy would begin house hunting.

"For now, de gozaru," reminded Kaede with her playful smile. "I'll be back to ahunt you soon enough. Until then, my shadow copies will be keeping an eye on you."

"Understood Ma'am," replied Luke, raising two fingers to his brow in a mock salute. "Well, see ya." And with that he turned about and walked off towards the centre of town. Kaede watched him go with a smirk before shaking her head and going to the train station.

After about five minutes, Luke ran past the crossroads again, heading back to the dorms. "Oooh, they've done it this time!" he growled to himself, bounding over the path.

Inside their dorms, the twins were now ready for school, but made no move to leave, waiting. At the predicted time, the blonde boy who had stayed in their room burst in, face flushed, panting slightly, and visibly annoyed.

"Alright, what did you-" he started.

"Now!" cried Fuka excitedly, and her twin hit a small button beneath the table. There was a loud bzzzt and the smell of ozone, and the next thing Luke knew, he was glaring at the two small girls from the ceiling.

His anger replaced with outrage, he sputtered at the two rejoicing girls. "Where on earth did you get an electromagnet from?!"

"Hakase," answered Fuka with a wink, walking below him and out the door. "We also sprinkled a lot of iron powder on your clothes!"

"It's to make sure you don't go out causing trouble. Kaede's orders!" finished Fumika, also walking beneath the blonde and out the door.

Both twins spun to face him and spoke in unison. "See you in the afternoon!" before closing the door, leaving Luke hanging there, partly impressed with their ingenuity, partly outraged at this violation, and partly horrified at the thought of the girls using him as a test subject. He'd have to escape from here…somehow…

Beginning to think, Luke folded his arms and began humming to himself, sprawled out over the ceiling.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Lucky break with little homework. However, the one a day updates will now cease. I'm going to work on the enxt chapter of MaE. It's been over 60 days since I updated that. So once thats done, its back to this! And who knows what else I might end up doing..._

Chapter Eighteen: Tricks of the trade

Sitting in class, idly gazing outside, Fumika and Fuka Narutaki sighed in boredom in unison. Negi was at the front, teaching some English play or other, but their minds were far away, back in their dorm actually. Kaede had allowed them to test out new pranks on the guy, and the girls' scheming minds were already working on the possibilities.

Seated some way in front of them, Kaede was actually focusing on the lesson. Being one of the baka rangers, she could ill afford to not pay attention in class. Also, they had pretty much ensured Luke wouldn't go off wandering. There was no way a non-mage would be able to escape the trap she had employed with the twins.

* * *

"Darn it. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," muttered Luke, reaching up into his cloak. His hand vanished in its folds, and he rummaged around for a bit, still hanging from the ceiling. "Ah, there it is!" he cried in victory, dragging his chosen item out of the metatron laced cloak. Useful little accessory that. Provided a vector fold, or more commonly known as "hammer space". And the best part was that no magic was involved, just science and nature.

First emerged the handle, and then the gigantic blade itself. Wrenching the sword free, Luke grinned. It was made of a special alloy, making it entirely non-magnetic. It was also quite a shock weapon too, fully six feet long, and a foot wide at the hilt. As the tip of the blade cleared the cloak, Luke suddenly remembered something. He hadn't pressed the switch.

"Well damn," he cursed as he fell from the ceiling, dragged down by the weapons immense weight. He slammed into the ground, the sword stabbing through the floor up to half its length. Cries of alarm could be heard form below, undoubtedly induced by a massive blade emerging from the ceiling. Luke stood up, grabbing the hilt in both hand and yanking it furiously. The weapon refused to budge. Sighing, Luke knelt down, bringing his face closer to the hilt, looking for the switch. The youth made sure not to let go of the blade, so as to avoid being dragged back to the ceiling.

He found it after a moment, a small silver lever, He pressed it down, and instantly the small anti-grav generator kicked into life. The sword slid easily out of the ruined floor, weighing now about the same as a moderately full handbag. The blonde's grin was short lived however, as he was once again slammed into the ceiling, the weight of the buster sword no longer great enough to counteract the force of the electromagnet.

"I may have not thought this through enough," he pondered out loud, now having an excellent top-down view of the jagged hole in the floor, through which another room could be seen below.

* * *

Negi continued his lesson, now getting very suspicious. Class had started about half an hour ago, and nothing, nothing at all, had gone wrong yet. Asuna was looking thoughtful, which in itself was shocking, but so was Chisame. The other baka rangers seemed to be paying earnest attention, and even the twins were quiet. Something was definitively not right here…

* * *

"Right," growled Luke in annoyance, now thoroughly battered and bruised, and once more sprawled out over the ceiling. Fiddling with the strength settings of the anti-grav hadn't helped much, only making him bounce up and down like a yoyo.

Holding the blade in both hands, Luke took a breath and stabbed upwards, into the ceiling. The molecular edge of the blade passed clean through, undoubtedly erupting form the floor somewhere above. That theory was soon proven correct as shouts and cries of alarm were heard. There was also a loud bang, and Luke found himself crashing into the floor with an utter finality.

His strike had destroyed the mechanism of the electromagnet. Standing up shakily, he smiled weakly in victory before collapsing unconscious.

* * *

Chisame sighed. This was so boring. She had things to do, rather than sitting in the class. Its not like she didn't know English already. The English speaking audience was a huge one, and she had taken steps to ensure her Chiu identity would flourish in that language as well. And it had, considerably.

Of course, that was now secondary in her mind. The thing which needed to be done know was to find a way to track down and punish that hacker, that Seeker. Of course, she'd need to upgrade her hardware and improve her knowledge. That cybernetic freak had shown her there were still things to learn about the internet.

The tsundere found her eyes drifting to Chachamaru. That damned robot had saved her, and acted so indifferent to the whole thing. It was infuriating. She'd nee dot have words with her after school…

* * *

"And that is what we do," finished Fate Averruncus, looking at his band of warriors. Shirabe, Homura, Shiori, Koyomi and Tamaki all nodded in understanding. Tsukuyomi grinned innocently at her partner.

"But I get the demon girl, right?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, as we agreed," answered the boy in his monotone. He turned from the groups, saying one last thing over his shoulder. "That's it for now. Go do whatever it is you see fit."

His five partners and Tsukuyomi bowed their heads before vanishing. The pale child stood there for a moment longer in silence, before walking through the portal.

"What do you want?" he asked emotionlessly as a figure emerged form another portal opposite him. They stood on a stone pillar, darkness stretching away for eternity in all directions.

"Your plan requires a change," declared Serac without preamble.

"Oh?"

"Springfield isn't coming," said the man, his haunted eyes lingering on Fate.

"And?" countered the magical child. "One less obstacle to deal with."

"Neither is the princess," finished Fate's Talon.

"Ah, I see. That IS a problem. What do you suggest then?"

"We require you to continue as you are, only change your target."

"Hmm? And what does the ever-mighty Fate want this Fate to do?"

"Ostia is beyond our reach for now. We'll provide you with what you need to strike the World Tree instead. It should suffice for your goals."

"Going with the second prize then?"

"One magical site is as good as another. You have your orders. "

"Very well," replied Fate with an inclination of his head. The closest he would come to bowing. His mission finished, Serac faded away ton nothingness, and the surroundings melted away to reveal his room. Sighing, Fate looked at his organised plans. It was time for a rewrite.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: No promises of daiily updates..._

Chapter Nineteen: Dead Innocence

Lurching out of the girls' dormitory, grateful for its current abandonment, Luke shook his head to clear it. He hadn't been unconscious for long, but damn his head hurt. Must have been the constant rising and falling he had done previously. Taking a deep breath, the blonde took one step, pushing himself away form the wall. He wavered slightly as he caught his balance, and straightened shakily.

Looking up at the sky, he closed his eyes momentarily and took another deep breath before opening them again. With a smile he began to walk away from the dorms. He supposed it was quite symbolic too. Walking away from where he had lived…well, not long, but it had been fun. But it had also been that time, not this time. This time, things were different. He knew what he was.

His smile turned bitter. Oh yes, he knew full well what he was. His gaze flickered to his hand involuntarily, and he flexed it, feeling the skin stretch to allow him to perform the movement. Luke clenched it into a fist, feeling his nails digging into his palm before relaxing. The bitter smile never left his face as he flicked his wrist, the ever present pocket watch materialising as if by magic.

That thought made him almost snigger. Magic. What a joke. Nothing involved with it was ever as harmless as a simple sleight of hand. Everything was done with an ulterior motive. Magicians were schemers, plotters, manipulators. They worked behind the scenes, influencing events to lead humanity to a bright future.

He'd heard that before. And it was in his power to affect…he knew it to be true. He knew his power. Knowledge. He knew things. Things that Darkside thought him ignorant of.

Luke caught himself, and slapped himself for good measure. Such thoughts had often plagued him, and he knew he had to keep a constant vigil to hold them in check. He was a knight, not a mage! No matter what powers and tricks he had, none of them were reliant on magic to work. No.

He had no need for magic. Technology had provided him with everything he needed. As always. The blonde knight felt his eyes water momentarily.

He was a knight. He would live by the code of chivalry no matter what.

It was his only chance of redemption.

Luke raised his hand and wiped his eyes clear, his bleak mood vanishing without a trace with the tears. Shaking his head clear, he looked up at the sky again with a bright cheery face. No point in worrying over silly matters, he had a place of his own to get!

…which was considerably easier to say than to do.

* * *

"…and so, with the exams coming up, I trust you all will take your studies more seriously," smiled Negi in his innocent, child-like way. You know, the smile that practically melted the heart of every female in a two mile radius.

His class however had developed enough of a resistance to avoid dissolving into fan girl mode and all chorused cheerily in the affirmative, some of their number winking or giggling slightly. Negi looked at the clock hanging on the wall, surprised to discover that for once, he had managed to finish a lesson early. Whilst a small part of him was already screeching that something was seriously wrong, he quelled it. It looked like luck was on his side today, so he may as well enjoy it whilst it lasted.

"Erm, right that's it. Homeroom until you can go home then," he said with a slight shrug and smile, sitting back down as his class immediately began bustling in activity. The child teacher pulled out a sheaf of notes and began to slowly look through them. Now and again he'd look up to make sure none of his mundane students noticed the exact contents of the notes, or to make sure the class wasn't becoming too rowdy. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the sheets of paper in his hands, detailing the various travel arrangements regarding his trip to the magic world.

Remembering that he still hadn't run the idea by his partners, Negi resolved to have them stay behind after class so he could explain the situation to them. It was his best chance of finding his father. He couldn't let it pass. He was sure they'd understand.

"Alright, what was that about?" asked Chisame under her breath.

Next to her, Chachamaru blinked slowly before turning to face her. "What do you mean, Hasegawa?"

"You know full well what I mean. That cyber world stunt. Coming out of nowhere to save me was a bit too convenient," hissed the net idol, shooting the gynoid a sideways glare. "You were watching me all the time weren't you?"

"No," replied Chachamaru, shaking her head slightly to enforce her negative response.

"Then why were you in the cyber world?" snapped Chisame.

"I was following the progress of the Seeker virus. When it ran into you, I awaited so see the outcome," explained the robot emotionlessly. "When it became clear you would be unable to save yourself in time I took action to guarantee a favourable outcome."

Chisame was silent for a moment, digesting the information. "So you just sat back and let me do all the work?!"

"Affirmative."

"Why you no good, bucket of old, greased down, bolt headed – " snarled the computer expert, yet was fortunately cut off by the ringing of the bell. With her foul language drowned out by the noise of the bell and her classmates leaving, the gynoid she had been raving at simply stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder and left.

Chisame growled softly and clenched her fist, before taking a deep breath to calm down. Only then did she trust herself to stand up and put her things away, rather than just hurl them at everybody in range. Her mind was already conjuring up numerous ways of striking back at everyone who had seriously pissed her off lately. Not just Chachamaru, but that Seeker freak.

The net idol grinned wickedly as she considered the myriad ways she could exact her vengeance on such idiots.

"Ah, Chisame!" called Negi cheerily all of a sudden, materialising by her elbow. This quite understandably shocked the girl rather badly. A minute later when she had recovered, and Negi had gained another bruise on the head for his collection, she managed to muster the patience to listen to him.

"Yes, teacher?" she asked in her most matter of fact voice, a clear signal that she was being polite and that he shouldn't waste her time.

"Um…can you come by Evangeline's resort this evening? There's something I need to tell you," pleaded the boy in the nicest way possible, inching away from the computer whiz in case she tried to hit him again.

"Huh? Why?" She had been expecting some sort of school related subject, not to be invited to partake in one of the crazies training montages. Chisame frowned.

"I just have something to say to everyone, so I want you to be there as well," explained Negi quickly, seeing the warning sign.

"Urgh, fine. Just leave me alone until then!" she snapped irritably, brushing past the little kid and stomping off. She had too much to do right now, but she might as well hear what the little brat had to say.

* * *

I sit here, and wait.

There is nothing here but me.

Nothingness surrounds me, penetrates me.

But I am so much more than nothing.

I am rage, and hate, and betrayal.

I am love, faith and hope.

Eternal and absolute.

I burn like the centre of the sun.

I freeze like the depths of the void.

I am ancient and forever.

I can see the turn of the universe.

I can see the tumult of Time.

I sit here, and wait.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: GAH. I hate schoolwork, I hate speed painting and I hate having to do two nights of school performances! Anyway, here's the update..._

_Ansem Man: Nope, as this chapter shows._

_Blaze Shadow: Thanks._

_TzuiAssassian: Luke will get a happy ending...eventually. _

Chapter Twenty: Fate

Darkside's hand flew gently over the tapestry he was creating. This was his true calling. Weaving the endless strands of life into a beautiful tapestry for the amusement of the gods. If such beings could be considered to be amused. But he knew they approved of his work so far, and felt no reason to change it.

Instantly he became aware of another presence. He continued his work, wondering why the General had chosen to visit him. Perhaps he wished to gaze upon the tapestry? He was known for often doing that, just looking at the never ending tapestry. It was most curious. As a Talon of War, the General's interests ought to have remained firmly in that domain. Just as Serac occupied himself with his Duty as Enforcer and he with Fateweaver.

"I have no purpose anymore," communicated the General, through sound, sight and touch all at once. Darkside could feel his reasoning. It had been…a long time since the War. And even though he was still fighting it, he was reminiscing about it at the same time, and knowing that there wouldn't be one in the future.

The Fateweaver did not reply. Lesser beings had an emotion for such instances. They called it 'pity'. Yet he lacked that aspect of humanity, so simply continued his work, the golden needle rising and falling steadily. Behind, around and in front of him, General Zegar surveyed his work, devoid of any emotion.

Slowly, scenes became apparent in the tapestry, as Darkside structured life to take the course he knew Fate wanted it to take. A flash of gold and Negi Springfield was telling his partners about his plan to continue to the Magical World to find his father. Yet another flash and Fate Averruncus explained his plan to his pactio partners. Another quick stabs of the needle and over a week had passed since then.

"You craft fine work," said Zegar. Darkside tilted his head slightly. That was…what was the word…surprising. The Fateweaver had never been complimented on his work, as he knew it was precisely to the standard required. That and praise could not be expected form the gods. They just watched the show and enjoyed themselves.

More swipes of the needle, and the Ala Alba were heading to the Magic World, minus one member from the original plan. Zegar sighed, the gears in his body clicking and clanking as he faded away to haunt some other part of the Citadel no doubt.

* * *

"Take care of yourselves," smiled Takahata, his ever present cigarette drooping from the corner of his mouth. "Things should be relatively calm this year," he added as an afterthought.

Negi smiled as he looked up at him. "Thank you Takamichi! I'm sure there won't be any trouble whatsoever," the boy said cheerfully.

"Yeah, and we'll look after him in case anything does go wrong," interrupted Asuna with a grin. "So don't worry about anything!"

The senior teacher nodded, still smiling as he looked down at Negi. "You have good partners. Take care of them too," he said.

Negi nodded seriously, his childish enthusiasm for the trip immediately replaced by concern for his students and their well being. "You will keep an eye on the rest, won't you?"

"Of course," replied Takahata. "And in case anything goes wrong, Mana and Kaede are sure to help out."

Negi nodded, relieved that he wasn't leaving the remainder of his class defenseless whilst he went to the magic world. The child teacher looked over to where his students where sharing farewells as the English Research Club aka Ala Alba prepared to head off to Wales to reach the portal to Magica Munda.

Takahata followed his gaze. "Their good students, all of them," he said, smiling slightly.

"And friends," added Negi, surprising himself. The elder teacher glanced down at him, still smiling, before nodding.

"Yes, indeed they are," agreed Takahata.

"Oi, Negi, come on! We're gonna be late!" shouted Asuna, waving at her two teachers.

"Coming!" called the small child, sharing a last look and laugh with his friend before running off to join the group.

"Good luck Negi," sighed the older teacher, watching the children head off on their journey. "You're going to need it."

* * *

Mana watched them leave, her dispassionate eyes following the group called Ala Alba as they made their way to the train station from where they would depart to Wales.

"Hmm, quite a send off, de gozaru," commented Kaede next to her, watching the proceedings below.

"Our little professor is going away for a bit. It's only to be expected," said the sharpshooter, smiling slightly. There was no wind, though the sun was bright overhead. Stanidng alone on the small terrace overlooking the square, both girls were casually leaning against the railing that held them back from a short drop.

"That is true," admitted Kaede, following the small band of adventurers until they were out of eyeshot. "Things will be quieter here without them de goazru," she added.

"Probably," shrugged Mana. "Though a break would be nice. Not that you'd need one, especially seeing as all you've done this week is stalk that dork around the campus."

Kaede shot her partner a look. "I was merely following him to ensure he wasn't going to cause any trouble, de gozaru."

"And?"

"He isn't going to," answered the ninja."He seems content to simply sit back and do nothing. Once he got that flat he rarely left it all week." Her tone carried a hint of displeasure.

Mana scoffed slightly. "Not even studying is he? Probably another rich kid sent here by his parents. Maybe a delinquent too," she guessed.

Kaede thought the idea over before shaking her head."No. More like a recluse, de gozaru. In any case, nothing to be worried about," shrugged the kunoichi.

"Or maybe he knew you were watching and simply made it seem like he's harmless?" smirked the sniper. Personally she doubted it, but then again Kaede had spent the past couple of days following somebody who had just come to the a ademy, as if it were a rare occurence. People came and went all the time. True someone settling in the area was unheard of, but hardly extraordinary.

The ninja considered the possibility. "That is likely, de gozaru," she admitted. "So I suppose it's back to patrolling with you?"

"After leaving me to patrol alone for a week?" replied Mana. "You are. I'm taking a break. I'm overdue for a rest week anyway."

Kaede glanced at her friend before nodding. "Ok, but check on that Luke from time to time. Something still irks meabout him."

"Deal."


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Exams have finished me off. And they're in two weeks ;_;_

_Ansem: My chapters are always short! I lack the concentration capacity to make them long..._

_Midnight: Well, the teachers are fulfilling defence duty too._

_Servious: Sorry about length. _

_Tzui: I'd be more worried about the eventual part . _

Chapter Twenty One: Confrontation

A clock chimed somewhere, signaling the advent of a new hour. Mana noted the fact impassively, still standing still in the cool shadow of the tree, gazing dispassionately at the building opposite, specifically the a window on the third storey, two to the left of the central staircase. Luke's room.

Kaede had discovered that, having infiltrated the building and checked where Luke's mail was being delivered. From there it was almost too easy to track him. Boring too. Everyday he'd wake up at 7 am, like clockwork, before spending thirty minutes having breakfast and getting ready for the day ahead. Then he'd seemingly aimlessly wander around Mahora, with a faraway look on his face, until noon. Then he'd head back to his room and stay there until nightfall.

That's when he'd go for another walk around Mahora, until midnight, and then head home and sleep.

Utterly pointless, in Mana's mind. Three days of this and the monotony was beginning to test even her patience. Only her training as a sniper allowed her to avoid giving up on this pointless charade.

"Hmmm, you've been staring at that window intently for a while. Sure you got the right one?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well then it must be tough to stand here all day just waiting."

"Yes."

"You know, you could have just talked to me."

"Ye-what?" the girl replied, leaping forwards and pivoting on her heel, drawing her pistols as she did so. There was a pair of clicks as the bullets were primed for firing, the gunslinger's fingers lightly squeezing the triggers. Two silenced blasts fused into a single discharge of air as the bullets were ejected from the gun muzzles.

Both bullets sliced though the air and embedded themselves in the wood behind her opponents head, sending splinters flying everywhere as he reflexively ducked and covered his head with his arms whilst yelping.

"Never dare to try to take me by surprise," said the shrine maiden softly, holstering her guns whilst looking down at the cowering blonde attempting to salvage whatever dignity he had left.

"S-sorry," he replied, standing back up shakily. "Forgot about the whole mercenary gunman thing you have going," the youth admitted with a nervous laugh before being silenced by a gun being poked under his chin. Exactly how Mana had managed to draw the firearm again without him noticing was an interesting point to consider, but not currently relevant.

"If you know so much about me, why bother trying to surprise me?" she asked dispassionately, removing the gun from the boy's chin now she had his attention. A twirl and the weapon vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The blonde resumed breathing and laughed sheepishly. "Erm well...I wasn't trying to?" he replied honestly.

The sniper's eyes narrowed. "Really? Then how come you managed it?"

The blonde seemed to be at a loss for words before suddenly replying as inspiration struck him. "You were suffering from target vision!" he declared, before realizing the gun was back beneath his chin.

"What?" queried Mana softly.

Pushed against the tree, Luke gulped. "Ah well, I heard it's a common occurrence amongst those with military training. They focus on a single target so much they lose sense of everything else around them."

* * *

"Come on, let's do something already!" pleaded Sakurako. "We've been sitting here all day!"

"You've been sitting. We've been doing our homework," corrected Madoka, stretching out like a cat. Next to her Misa sighed and rolled her wrist, making sure to avoid cramping it. "Though taking a break does seem like a good idea."

"Yeah! It's a brilliant day outside and all!" cried Sakurako, throwing open the window to their dorm, allowing the wind to blow freely in. "We should go shopping!" she declared, diving for the cupboard and wrenching it open, plunging inside with enthusiasm as she sought out an outfit to wear. Her roommates shared a look and a sigh before plunging in after her to begin the long and fierce battle for the best outfit.

* * *

"Keep talking. Maybe eventually you'll say something to reverse all that stuff you said before," smirked Mana, tapping her pistol against Luke's Adams apple. The youth rapidly considered his options. He really should have let the girl be, but no, he had to show off and reveal he knew she was following him. And then had unwittingly insulted her by insinuating she was an inexperienced sniper, as only those ever really suffered from target vision.

He really should have stuck to the code of chivalry as his model of behavior. Things were so much simpler back then.

"OK, can we start over? Hello, I am Luke Mason."

"Mana Tatsumiya," replied the girl, her aim never wavering from the boy's throat. But it was a promising start. Smiling shakily, Luke decided to press on.

"Well, you've been tracking me for the past couple of days. Any particular reason for that?" he asked tenuously, slowly reaching up and lightly pushing against the barrel of the gun. It didn't budge, so Luke laughed sheepishly and let his hand drop back down to his side.

"You tell me. My associate certainly believes there's good enough reason to keep an eyes on you, at least for a little while," she answered, cocking an eyebrow and smirking at him.

"Associate? Oh, Miss Nagase? Hang on, am I that suspicious?!" Luke demanded, looking at the girl, slightly taken aback. Mana took the time to obviously look the youth over, Osean uniform with cape and all. Luke picked up on the hint and looked down at himself. "Oh come on, this is far from the most suspicious thing on display in this place!"

"Hmm, a valid point, but it's a start," admitted the girl, her arm lowering, but the gun still unmistakably pointing at the blonde. "Your behavior is another factor," she offered.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Structured, regimented. Almost military like. Every day is spent exactly the same way, with a dedicated time set aside for wandering chaotically. In a teenager, it is most unusual," Mana explained.

"As opposed to a shrine maiden working as a mercenary bounty hunter in a high school? Hey, I don't question you're lifestyle choices, can't I be given the same form of consideration?" countered Luke, hissing suddenly in annoyance.

Taken aback by his sudden vehemence, the girl's aim faltered slightly but immediately corrected itself as her training took over. "A good response," she said, her voice losing some more warmth.

"Oh enough of this. If you were going to shoot me, you'd have done so already," sighed the blonde in irritation, pushing the gun aside with his hand. "Look, if you insist on talking, we might as well do it somewhere more comfortable than under a tree."

Mana was silent for a moment before holstering her firearm. "Very well. We'll head over to the temple in that case."

"Feel the need for a home advantage do we?" smirked Luke despite himself, his humor evaporating as the girl glared at him. "Alright, alright, let's go then," he said, before sullenly marching off with the sniper.

* * *

Now decked out in their finery, the cheerleaders were set to hit the town!

Sakurako twirled in childish glee, looking down at her dress, Madoka and Misa inspeting their own clothing.

"Well, this'll do," conceded Madoka, Misa nodding in agreement with her.

"Enough of this! Let's go!" cried Sakurako, punching the air in victory before grabbing her friends and dragging them from their dorm. They made it four steps down the hallway before literally running into the Narutaki twins.

"Ouch! Hey, watch it!" cried Fuka, standing up, glaring balefully at the cheerleaders as her twin also got up form the floor where they had fallen.

"Ah sorry Fuka, Fumika," nodded Madoka, whilst Sakurako leaned down to the smaller girl's eye level.

"Hey, what are you two doing now anyway?" she asked curiously.

The twins shared a glance and a shrug before turning their attention back to the cheerleader.

"Nothing really. With Kaede gone it's boring around here," explained Fuka.

"Yeah, so we were heading out," added Fumika. "We haven't been in town in ages, so we thought we might as well. Right Fuka?"

"That's right Fumika," affirmed her twin, and the two little girls high-fived. "How about you three?" asked Fuka suddenly, spinning to face the trio once more.

Sakurako grinned. "We're just heading off to town ourselves. We've been studying too long and its a nice day, right?"

"We? When did you do any studying?" queried Madoka with a raised eyebrow, and smirking slightly as Sakurako turned around to shoot her black look before continuing on as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Anyway, since we're all heading to the same place, why don't we go together huh? It'll be more fun that way!" offered the pigtailed girl with a grin, whilst her roommates shook their heads and sighed in unison.

* * *

The Tatsumiya shrine was much like he remembered, at least from seeing it from afar. Up close...it was impressive he supposed, and made sure to act like it. Though how a mere building impress him after seeing the sinking of an aircraft carrier or a squadron of jets fly through an underground tunnel at high speed was beyond him.

Still, Luke tried his best to be taken aback by the sheer size of the place. "Tatsumiya shrine huh? It's certainly a lot bigger up close," he said, glancing sideways at his traveling companion. The sniper said nothing, but motioned for him to go inside. "Guess you must be used to it..." he mumbled as he obeyed, walking over the threshhold into the darkened interior of the building.

There were few decorations. A scroll or two decorated the walls, and some sliding doors led to other sections of the temple, but the youth was struck by the serenity of the place. A feeling he would almost certainly not associate with Mana Tatsumiya. Then again, she was unlikely to have anyhting betraying her true identity on show for a casual observer. Shrugging mentally, Luke turned to his host as she closed the door behind them. "Well then, what do you want to talk about?"

"Who are you?" demanded the girl, turning to face him, her impassionate face staring at him.

The youth cocked an eyebrow. "You already know that."

"All I know are lies and fabrications. Who are you, really?" demanded the girl again.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Exams over, back at school, blitzing work. Usual blah blah blah. _

_Servious: Take a look :P_

_Nederbird: Truth or fantastic lie? That's for you to decide. _

Chapter Twenty Two: As I See Fit

"Who...am I?" repeated Luke, blinking as if never having been asked that before. The blonde tilted his head to the side as he considered the question, the silence in the room broken now and again by a bird call or the sound of wind rustling the trees outside. Mana didn't speak, her question asked, and sat in silence, gazing at the youth opposite her with her usual impassive look.

Luke sighed before replying. "I'm a creation of circumstance, or Fate, whichever you are more inclined to believe in," he said with a shrug. Mana simply continued looking at him, indicating he should continue. "What the heck do you want me to say? My life story?!" demanded the blonde.

"If it'll make things clear, then yes," was his answer, devoid of emotion, though the girl visibly smirked as she said it. He stared at her in response.

"Argh fine then," he snapped, irritated. "Hope you're comfortable because this may take a while," he warned, Mana merely nodding slightly to inform him to proceed. "Right. Let's start at the beginning. I have no idea who my parents where, what they did, what I was to them or anything. My first memory is of a training facility where I spent my entire childhood. So I might have been bioengineered for all I know," said the blonde offhandedly, not seeming perturbed by what he was saying.

Either insane, or had come to terms with it, Mana thought, detecting nothing to prove that the boy was lying to her. What he was saying was true, at least to him.

"The facility was in Eastern Europe, technically in Russian Federation territory, but not affiliated with any government. I'm not too sure on the details, but I think they were still operating under special orders from Stalin, dating from the Second World War-"

"A super soldier program?" scoffed Mana, unable to mask her reaction to such preposterous claims. She knew of magic enhanced warriors operating in the mundane world at the time, and indeed a fair number working for the axis powers. The atrocities involving the ghouls created under Order 666 as a result of death camp testing was well known amongst many mages who had lived through that era, knowledge passed down through the generations, through magistra and descendants, showing of the horror that could result from the merging of the Magic world and the mundane world. But to operate in secret creating such warriors for over sixty years without being discovered?

Luke made a non-committed gesture. "That's what I know. Accept it or not, your choice." Mana chose to remain silent, indicating he should continue. The youth nodded in thanks before resuming his tale. "All I remember is the training there. Tactics, weapon use, infiltration, survival techniques, interrogation and endurance, the usual stuff you'd expect in a mundane training camp really. But we also had magic use, preventive measures, nullifying effects and such like. Basic mage knight training I know, but if used correctly would have taken any mage enemies off guard long enough for them to be eliminated."

"Or captured?" queried the bounty hunter, well versed in many techniques and tricks involved in hunting, trapping and capturing targets.

"No. Live capture was never an option. To the death was a motto at that place," said Luke, his eyes gazing away, far away. His voice had taken on a tone devoid of emotion, almost mechanical. "I was part of the Corsair unit. Consisting of me, Seeker, Muse and Maiden."

Mana continued to listen in silence, but something flickered in her eyes enough to make Luke respond.

"We never had normal names, just designations. We weren't people, we were weapons. Still are I suppose, if any of them apart from me are still alive that is," he corrected himself. "Anyway, that was family, or as close to it as it could be. Oh, and Chaplain, one of the few veterans. Most of us died before we got anywhere near old age, but he managed it somehow. Got a retirement too, no idea how."

"So a childhood of battle and blood?" said the sniper opposite him, as the wind gently blew around the building outside, filling the room with its whisperings.

"Training and blood really. We were never sent into battle; instead we fought with the other units in the facility. The Reavers, Harlequins and Berserkers all fell to us, wiped out and slaughtered down to the last member. It was them or us, and we never shirked from those tasks," explained Luke, remembering the pleading eyes of the few who he throttled with his chains, so long ago and yet so fresh in his memory.

"Alright then. And how did you wind up here?" asked Mana coolly. From what he was saying, this boy was either utterly insane, or insanely dangerous. Probably both. In either case, someone who had no place in Mahora, and more than likely had a hefty bounty on his head.

"Well, I somehow attracted the attentions of the facility administrator. He thought it fit to use me as the basis of what was meant to be the facilities grandest achievement," replied Luke, smirking slightly at the memory. He was quiet for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

Mana was silent as well, waiting for him to speak again. The silence dragged on before the blonde chose to continue.

"I was to be used as the vessel for a spirit they had discovered in the ruins of an island somewhere in the Mediterranean, shrouded in eternal fog and lost to legend. A demon of unimaginable power, with mastery of time."

The bounty hunter's eyebrow rose slightly, just a few millimeters, but enough for Luke to notice.

"Yeah, well it did. Basically, after undergoing a month of surgery I was deemed fit for the experiment. The procedure itself was relatively painless – most of my senses were gone after the surgery – and soon enough I had two souls in one body. Mine, and that of the demon, Ezekiel."

"Demon's can adopt human forms," said Mana, "but I didn't think it was possible to force one into a human body without destroying the current soul occupying it."

"No one did. That's why things turned out the way they did..."

* * *

He was fading in and out of consciousness. Blurry white blobs hovered into view before disappearing, all viewed at the end of a dim tunnel. He couldn't move. He tried to speak, but his mouth was full of dust and sand, scratching his throat. No spit came to his mouth, leaving him at the mercy of the rough material filling it. He tried coughing it up but nothing happened. Resigned he lay there, strapped down to the table, gazing at the ceiling through the dim tunnel.

_D-did it work? _He found himself wondering weakly.

_Much better than you im__agine, child,_ sneered a voice in his mind.

_So this is how it felt to have a demon inside of you,_ he reasoned, surprised and somewhat curious. _What are you?_

_Shut up worm,_ spat the creature inhabiting his body. He felt its disgust, its fury, its pain. _Long have I awaited this moment, and what do I find? Myself sharing this pathetic body with you! Do you have any idea what was meant to happen?! Your damned soul was to be exp__elled, obliterated! Cleared away like the trash it is to make room for my magnificence!_

He blinked slowly, groggy from the sedatives given to him. _What?_

_A vessel must be empty before it is filled you fool, _remarked the voice in disgust. _But even such a __simply procedure can be ruined by you brainless creatures!_

_Indeed, humanity is weak,_ he found himself agreeing. _Honestly, how many years upon this planet and still unable to eliminate their foes quickly and efficiently, devouring all in their path. Nothi__ng more than a virus._

_Ohohoho, trying to earn favor by being a sycophant? _Queried the creature snidely.

_No_

_Hmmm...Then give me my own body, and we can embark on a cleansing of this world,_ offered the demon quickly.

_I don't care,_ he answered. _I do __what I am told._

_The perfect soldier_, the thing smiled. _Then get me out of here. I'll lend you my power of course. Heck, I'll throw in a wish too. I give you my oath._

His superiors had been specific in their instructions. The demon had to be appeased at all costs. And it was getting boring here. Seeker constantly tormenting him, Muse and Maiden ignoring him, Chaplain poking his nose into his affairs, the continual surgery, killing over and over again, nothing challenging.

It was all so boring.

_Deal._

And with that the world came into focus, leeched of color, sepia all around. He blinked, feeling fine grains of sand over his eyes, filling his mouth and lungs, but no longer caring. He raised his arm, the steel restraint buckling and shattering from the stress. He sat up, his usual neutral expression on his face, the scientists around him backing away beyond the containment barrier. Tearing the restraint from his legs, he hurled it aside, smashing it into a young woman and driving it through her abdomen to become lodged in the wall behind her. She stared accusingly at him as her blood poured out, before slumping onto the metal jutting out of her.

"Ah welcome Ezekiel," greeted a warm voice. He looked up, at the screen above the chamber, into the blue eyes of the administrator. "A long time since you have interacted with the world, no?"

He merely stared back at him, swinging his legs off the table and standing on them, feeling nothing.

"Now don't get ahead of yourself. We've researched you, Dahaka," smiled the administrator. The man nodded to one of his aides who pressed a button on the console in front of him. The sprinklers in the room activated, showering him with water. "Your kind dislikes water no? It would be best to listen to us, demon."

He scanned the wards and glyphs on the floor. Standard holding pattern for...

"A demonhost. You tried to turn me into a demonhost," he stated flatly, looking up at the administrator, a single blue eye visible beneath his blonde fringe.

"Clockwork?!"

"Not anymore," he replied, as his back exploded into dark tendrils, spearing out in all directions, stabbing through flesh, concrete and spirit. The people in the chamber merely looked surprised as they turned into dust, their essence leeched away.

Luke broke eye contact with the stunned administrator, who was quickly evacuated from the chamber, his aides covering him with their weapons drawn. He stepped over to the small desk on which his clothing rested, pulling on the familiar black outfit with practiced ease. As he flipped the hood up, the door hissed open and a wall of bullets flew at him.

He "hmph"ed as the bullets froze, and he brushed past them, walking past to the soldiers outside, frozen in time. As an afterthought he flicked his wrists, a flash of gold and silver glittering in the dim light. And with that, time resumed its flow.

The ten men fell apart in a wash of gore and bile, scissored apart. Their weapons exploded as sparks hit gunpowder, incinerating the remains. Quite theatrical. Muse would have approved. He walked on, towards the double doors through which he had entered the medical sector of the institute. Now and he met no resistance until he approached the lobby, where he felt the oppressive fingers of a spell clutching at his mind. Ezekiel sniggered as he grabbed them and pulled them, smashing the spell caster against the wall he was hiding behind again and again until only a red stain remained of him.

_I will admit, this formation has some merit,_ admitted the Dahaka, his feeling of joy regarding the slaughter clear in his mind.

Clockwork said nothing, continuing on, but stopping as he beheld somebody bounding down the corridor towards him. It was Seeker. His brown eyes were full of excitement, and he was grinning as if relishing the chance given to him. Clockwork sighed as he threw his arms forward, his watches, guided by Ezekiel and fueled by his power, tore through the child's body, shredding his insides. Seeker looked up at him as he slowed down then came to a stop, surprised. The chains retracted, ripping a piece of meat from the boy's chest and delivering it into Clockwork's hands.

Klaxons were blaring, red lights flickering all over the corridor. The black haired boy sighed as he collapsed onto his back, tears running down his eyes as he stared blearily upwards.

"W-w-why?" he gasped out, coughing up blood as the jagged hole in his chest wept blood. Shattered ribs could be seen protruding from the mangled flesh surrounding the wound.

"Where I'm going, you cannot follow. Your place is here," answered Clockwork coldly, the beating heart still in his hand. With a snort, he crushed it in his grip, blood spraying everywhere.

"B-b-but why? Why this? We're family aren't we? We should go together…" sighed the dying boy heavily, heaving up more blood.

"It's better this way. You have to remain. The world isn't ready for you. People would fear you, hate you…"

"How is it different for you?" Seeker managed to gasp out.

Clockwork grinned evilly. "I have a reason to leave. You do not."

"What? Why would you abandon us…?"

"Ask them yourself, fool. Those treatments, did you never even think of questioning why?" snarled his blonde twin, blue eyes blazing violently.

"We…were…told...your health…" breathed Seeker, looking forlornly at Clockwork.

"If you're that stupid, then you certainly do not deserve to leave," replied the young boy, turning his back on his dying twin. "Say hi to dad for me."

"B-b-bastard…" spat out Seeker as Clockwork left him behind, walking into the lobby.

_How nice,_ sighed Ezekiel. _Now can we go on?_

_Of course._

He didn't bother opening the door, simply kicking down the wall. This new power was quite fun, he had to admit. As masonry rained down around him, he felt the wind blow onto his face. The demon inside crowed in victory.

_It has been to long since I felt the air pound upon me! _It rejoiced. _Trapped in that damned lake...water is no companion for a sand creature like me!_

There was a rumbling as one of the tanks in the parking area rolled forwards, its turret ponderously swinging around as the vehicle turned and drove at him. Clockwork merely continued walking, guided by Ezekiel. East was the way to go. The vehicle bore down on him, about to crush him. Dark power infused his muscles as Clockwork reached out with his left hand and casually flipped the tank over his head.

The war machine arced through the sky before crashing into the remains of the medical building from which he had exited. Undoubtedly crushing whatever was left of Seeker too.

_So, east? _Clockwork asked the demon.

_Indeed. That's where one of the last magic sources remains in this world, _replied the demon. _The world tree. That's what will give me my original body back._

* * *

Mana sat there, absorbing what she had been told, whilst looking over the mild manner youth in front of her. "And yet you call yourself Luke Mason. No longer Clockwork?"

"Oh, that occurred because whilst in my....unique state, I could be easily tracked. Not a problem but an inconvenience none the less. So in the end we wrote a note, got some new clothing, and got to Japan in secret. Then Ezekiel sealed himself in my gold watch, and wiped my memory," continued Luke conversationally. He hadn't really gotten the opportunity to share his full life story with anyone yet. Well, King Mickey had heard most of it, except the "Kill everything because I'm bored" part.

"Hmmm. And then?"

"I came to Mahora...erm...got to the World Tree, Ezekiel came out, turned me back into Clockwork, the Corsairs came, destroyed half the campus, and then Miss Nagase stabbed me with the Water Sword whilst I was running up the trunk of the tree."

"......." Mana merely looked at him skeptically.

"Other time line," explained Luke, to which the sniper rolled her eyes despite herself. Because everything made total sense. As if. "Of course she also destroyed my gold watch, so massive rewind occurred to when I arrived at Mahora. Of course, Ezekiel was free now as well, so I was charged with hunting him down and went off to do so. Took me about a year, and now I'm back," finished Luke quickly, wrapping up his tale. "And so I'm here."

Mana was quiet for a long time, disseminating the tale. Then she pushed her desert eagles against Luke's temple. He froze in shock. "A fancy tale, and true to you, but not to me. You are a liar and a psychopath. Bounty or not, I cannot let you prance around this campus so freely."

Luke stared at her in fear as she pulled the trigger. The click echoed around the room. Her eyes widened as the blonde grinned and held up her bullets, clutched between his fingers.

"I figured as much," he replied, his arm blurring as he shoved her away and leapt up, twirling on the spot and diving outside.

Mana spat in anger as she slid a new clip into her pistols and gave chase.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Finally entering the last stages of the fic. THanks for the support so far folks!

**Nederbird:** CHases and Luke seem to go hand in hand, huh? Yep, the Dahaka is from PoP. As for summer break, homework and summer courses negate free time I'm afraid.

**Blaze Shadow:** Thanks! But hey, when does Luke do anything without it turning on him?

**Tikigod784:** Maybe. It'd be stupidly long though. And plain stupid.

**Servious:** Well that's his backstory as he knows it.

**TzuiAssassian: **Of course I had to tie it in with TIE! It wouldn't be the same if I didn't!

Chapter Twenty Three: Weapons With Will

"Hmmm, I'm not sure," said Madoka, not really convinced by Misa's argument.

"But it's cute!" she said with a smile, Sakurako nodding enthusiastically.

"Hey, I'm not a doll for you to dress up!" snapped Fumika, red in the face from embarrassment, her twin giggling furiously. The more headstrong of the pair was currently clothed in a little fairy costume, as pink as her hair.

Sakurako laughed as she straightened the tiara the smaller girl was wearing. "Don't be like that! It's such a cute little outfit! Maybe I should get something like that for Halloween..."

"It would be nice to go in something other than our cheerleader uniforms," admitted Madoka, though last year they had gone in their band outfits and spent the night playing music.

"Then we gotta hit the side streets!" declared Misa, clapping her hands together. "Shops there tend to have outfits in our size!"

The Narutaki twins shared a look. "Ey, don't leave us behind!" they cried in unison.

* * *

It really was a lovely day, with the sun shining, the birds singing. A pity he had to spend it running from a gun bunny. Luke skidded to a halt and leapt down an alley, his sudden change of direction making the pursuing Mana Tatsumiya run past before she could slow herself down. One point for the blonde. He grinned at his minor victory, taking what he could when it came to Mahora, and ran to the end of the alley, tasting freedom.

His point was quickly denied however when Mana materialized at the end of the alley. Luke hit the brakes and skidded to a halt right in front of her, with a desert eagle pointing at his face. She didn't seem amused, or out of breath.

"Erm, I love you?" he stabbed into the dark wildly.

The gun cocked.

"Okay...erm...I'm going to blow up the school?"

Her aim switched from his head to his groin.

"Ah screw it," breathed the blonde and flicked his wrist. Mana felt her legs be pulled from beneath her and fell, catching a flash of silver as Luke ran past and into a street. She still leveled her gun as she flee and squeezed the trigger. The round got the fleeing boy in the back of the head, propelling him headfirst into the pavement. He lay there quietly after that.

Mana stood up and dusted herself off before a panicked squeal made her reflexively behind the conveniently placed dumpster. She leaned slightly around it to keep an eye on what was happening, and cursed under her breath. Typical it would be them of all people.

* * *

Misa knelt over the blonde man who had crashed to the floor in front of them, now lying still. "Hey, you ok?" she asked, tentatively prodding the prone figure. The twins were staring in mute horror, convinced that the thing the cheerleader was poking was a corpse.

Madoka and Sakurako weren't exactly cheerful either, startled out of their wits by a collapsing blonde boy who had landed in front of them. And seeing as they had just gotten onto the topic of boys when one ended up landing in front of them didn't help either. The two girls shared a look before both crying at the sky.

"Money!/ Fame!" cried Sakurako and Madoka respectively, before realizing they had totally different things in mind. They shared an accusing look before turning their attention back to Misa, who had rolled the boy over to look at his face.

Immediately the Narutakis expressions switched from shock to mild surprise at recognizing him. "Oh its just Luke," said Fuka, whilst Fumika tilted her head to the side to get a better look at him. Yep, definitively same guy...wait he was wearing the same clothes too! Did he not own any other articles of clothing?! The pair thought the same thing and shared a look.

"Well, he washed the pink dye out at least..." admitted Fumika, proving that the boy probably had some knowledge of hygiene. Plus he hardly stank.

"Oh so you know him?" asked Misa, looking at the twins, her hand still resting on the youth's shoulder.

"He's a Bad Man," answered Fuka, the capitalised letters clearly evident form her speech. "Kaede and Asakura know something about him, he has a file in Interpol!" she explained in an energetic rush.

"And he managed to disable our magnet trap too! Kaede trusted us to keep an eye on him after and he ran away from the dorm!" added Fumika without considering the consequences.

Unfortunately, all the cheerleaders heard from the fast talking duo was that essentially this blonde was a bad boy, and he had been in Kaede's dorm, and fled after he did something.

Yeah, have fun coming up with theories based on that info.

The three girls squealed as the looked on the guy, before immediately huddling to plan their next course of action, not allowing even the Narutaki's to penetrate through to hear their plotting. The twins, justifiably irritated by their exclusion from the discussion, had no choice but to keep an eye on Luke until the cheerleaders reached an agreement.

"Alright then!" declared Sakurako loudly as the cheerleader huddle broke up. "Our course of action is clear then!"

"Take him back to your dorm?" asked Fuka sneakily.

"What?! Hell no!" countered the gambling girl, looking shocked at the very suggestion. "We try to wake him up, if he doesn't, then we call an ambulance and let the authorities deal with it!" It had taken the three girls about twenty second to come up with that plan, ten of which were focused mainly on how much to believe of what the Narutaki's had told them. The consensus was not much. They were hardly older than them and given to flights of fancy. Fumika still swore she had seen Negi flying once.

Deciding not to waste any time, Sakurako knelt by the boy and began to shake him. When that failed to produce a response she looked up at Misa and Madoka, who both shrugged. A light bulb pinged over Sakurako's head and she took of her bag and began rummaging through it, her friends watching in interest. Eventually she pulled out a bottle of water and quickly undid the cpa, pouring the contents onto the youth's face. Again, there was little effect, though the Narutaki's got some entertainment out of the show and couldn't suppress a set of giggles. A final look of exasperation was shared amongst the cheerleaders before Sakurako slapped the boy with all her might.

He cracked an eye open, groaning slightly as he did so.

"So is this how angels greet the dead in heaven?" he mumbled, squinting to keep the sunlight from his sight.

Sakurako laughed as she stood up, brushing off the compliment/raving as she turned to her friends. "He's ok, somewhat," she reported with a grin, and then turned back to him. "How are you feeling?"

There was a moment of quiet before the boy's eyes shot wide open and he leapt up, glancing about warily as he answered. "Fine, fine! Never better, thanks!"

Madoka quirked an eyebrow whilst Misa stifled a laugh at his sudden energetic behavior.

"Oy, we got some questions for you buster!" deckared Fuka, dragging her sister along as she stood in front of the boy and pointed her finger accusingly. "Just how did you get out of our dormitory?!" she demanded, Fumika nodding behind her.

Luke blinked, before noticing the expression on the cheerleaders' faces. His face took on a rather curious panic stricken expression as he started stammering out excuses and such like to prevent whatever thoughts were likely to form in their minds. Then he yelped in pain as an irritated Fuka stamped on his foot to regain his attention.

"Don't ignore me you meanie!" she said in a huff, the cheerleaders merely looking on as the boy hoped about on his good leg, rubbing his injured foot. "You used some trick didn't you?!"

Luke managed to stop hopping long enough to grin and lean in close to the little girl, making color creep onto her cheeks from the intimate closeness. "Yes," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, before pulling a rose from behind her ear and straightening with a grin, offering it to Fumika, who automatically accepted it, surprised by the trick.

Luke's smile was ruined by a handbag slamming into his face, making him stagger backwards, his face stinging. He stared dumbfounded at an annoyed Madoka. "Damn pervert!" she said accusingly. "Stop trying to corrupt them!"

"What the- I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" he countered in annoyance. Only to be answered by a punch in the face from the irate teenager.

"Hey Madoka, that's enough, ok?" said Misa, tapping her friend on the arm.

Luke still stared as Madoka visibly calmed down, and Sakurako turned to him. "Sorry about that. She gets outbursts sometimes," she offered as an explanation. The boy merely shrugged. "Anyway, what happened to you?"

"Oh, I just tripped," responded Luke with a bright grin. No need to drag Mana into this and the potential awkwardness that would cause. She hadn't given him cause to resort to such methods.

"Um, ok. You sure you alright though?" asked Misa, a look of gentle concern on her face. Luke smiled sincerely as he nodded, somewhat touched by the emotion she was displaying. Concern for his wellbeing wasn't exactly something that was common in Mahora these days.

"Now now, don't worry about it. Hey, people fall over all the time right? Now run along, I've wasted enough of your time already!" he said with a friendly chuckle, making to walk away down the street, but stopped as he felt gentle pressure on his arm. He turned his head to see a slightly embarassed Sakurako gently pulling on his sleeve.

"Um...sorry for slapping you," she mumbled slightly, her face tinged pink.

"Hey, no problem, you managed to wake me up with no harm done see?" Luke answered curtly, turning his head slightly to the side so she could see the worst he was going to have was the hand imprint on his cheek. The girl looked at it before giggling slightly.

"It's like your punishment for being perverted," she said, her earlier embarrassment totally gone.

Luke laughed. "Yeah fine, let's go with that then."

Misa looked a the pair happily laughing as they talked, holding the mouths of both Narutaki's shut to stop them interfering, whilst Madoka stood next to her, silently watching the pair as well.

"My my, they're getting along well aren't they?" said the long haired cheerleader to her short haired companion, the two little girls in her hands straining at her hold.

"Yeah, but that guys to smooth with his words, you know what I mean? She'd better be careful," warned Madoka, her eyes narrowing.

"Aw come on, let Sakurako have some fun too. I mean, I've got my boyfriend and you have Nagi's friend-"

The other cheerleader seemed to choke for a second.

"-so its only fair Sakurako gets someone too," finished Misa, not having noticed her friend deny having any interest in Nagi's friend. "Alright then!" she clapped her hands together as she reached a spontaneous decision. "We check this guy out, then if he's good enough, we get him with Sakurako!"

"Hey, what did you say about me?" asked the girl in question, jogging up to her friends.

Misa smiled sweetly. "Nothing at all. So how is he?"

Sakurako smiled. "He's a nice guy! Very polite and everything. Foreigner too, I mean, his name is a dead give away."

"What is it?"

"Luke."

"Hmm, so you're o first name terms with him already huh~?" replied Misa with a glint in her eye.

"W-what?! No, nothing like that!" protested Skaurako, as the gang continued on their way.

Luke watched them go, rubbing the black eye he had received from Miss Madoka. Urgh, what a mess. Maybe coming back to Mahora hadn't been a good idea at all. But something drew him back to this place, and he wasn't naive enough to believe the hollow lie of being there simply because of Kaede. What they had had was past, it wouldn't return. And it really didn't seem to bother him anymore. Maybe it was the lack of purpose which drove him to the Academy. With something always happening, there should be a lot for a knight to do...

"Come with me," intoned the steely cold voice of Mana Tatsumiya from behind him, as he felt the tip of a gun rest against his neck. Holding back a sigh, he merely nodded. This was becoming far too routine for his liking.

* * *

The train rattled on, the carriage nearly empty. Sitting in the midsection, reading a newspaper, Fate Averruncus calmly read over the affairs of mortals, no emotion responding to the images and information presented in the paper in front of him.

Next to him Tsukuyomi stared at the ceiling, bored. His pactio partners meanwhile were scattered around the carriage wasting time in whatever ways they deemed fit, whether reading, chatting in hushed tones or staring into space.

Fate felt like sighing. So many months of effort ad preparation for the perfect strike against the magic world had been foiled. In place of that he had no choice but to strike swiftly and effectively at Mahora instead, the territory of the enemy. Negi and his partners were far from the worst threats at that place. The teachers themselves were highly dangerous, and without careful consideration or treatment would be able to overpower his group before they got anywhere near their objective.

Takahata, Seruhiko, Gandolfini, Konoe...the list of potential danger was endless. Fate closed his eyes, the solution he had arrived at playing out in his mind. Against such formidable opponents, grouped together, nothing stood a chance. Definitively nothing from the two worlds. But there was something from beyond...something old, vast and terrible. It was the key, no, the axis on which his plans turned. It was the means and the end, an ancient piece of lore he had "inherited" from himself, or at least his previous self.

A small band, masked and disguised, with no other intention than reaching and unleashing it would succeed. With such a power running amok, the teachers would be forced to band together to reseal it, at least he summarized as much from the knowledge he had. And as they did that, he would capture the princess, and harness her powers for his use in bringing the magic world to ruin. Defeating the power with her if was also assured if the teachers proved unable to cope with what he intended to unleash, but Fate doubted such measures were necessary.

His own partners barely factored in the equation as he knew that whilst against Negi and his girls they would prove an admirable challenge, against the teachers of Mahora they would be little more than distractions.

Fate opened his eyes, glancing out the window to see the rolling countryside of Kyoto pass by in a blur, the train trundling along towards his destination.

* * *

Serac stood behind his brother, expressionless as always.

"What is the problem?" he said again, seemingly bored with the whole situation.

Darkside would have glared at him if he could still feel anger. Instead he gazed at his brother as he explained once more. "Our corrections have nullified each other. You sent Fate to Mahora to get the princess, whilst I sent the princess to the magic world to run into Fate. I had things in hand if you hadn't felt it necessary to correct me."

"I merely fulfill the will of Fate," answered the Enforcer. "If there are further issues I will deal with them."

His brother turned from him to gaze upon the frozen loom of Fate, no longer responding to his touches as a anomaly sent the tapestry spiraling out of his control. The longer chaos reigned the more unpredictable the future became, but there was still time to fix all this without an issue.

"I heard there was an issue with the flow of time," said another voice, as Zegar emerged from the shadows, although he had been with them the whole time, and yet wasn't there yet.

"It's nothing. Just a minor miscalculation," reported Serac softly, not looking the mechanical Talon in the face.

"Since when do the Talon's miscalculate?" demanded the General, making the other two Talons stop in their tracks and ponder the question, not having realized the obvious before.

The Enforcer turned to him. "I understand. Your specialization is recognized in this instance. You find the source of this, and I will deal with the fallout," Serac ordered.

Zegar nodded slightly, the gears in his neck clicking as they reorientated themselves to permit the movement.

"Her will be done."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four: Waiting on a Hero

Dean Konoe was, by all accounts, a tolerant, friendly, and maybe slightly...strange man. Having presided over Mahora Academy for over two decades, he was someone who was used to the bizarre, whether related to magic or not. He had dealt with demons, bounty hunters, troubled students, irate teachers, vicious union heads, amiable officials from the ministry of education, outraged military officials, bored Illuminati members, insane scientists, drunk and despairing social workers, and other such colorful characters. Through each encounter his steely determination masked by an almost bumbling nature had carried him through, though from time to time he'd had to reveal the side of him that had most of the Senatus Magicus rightly fearing him. One did not just become the head of Mahora Academy without very good reason and assurances to a LOT of people.

And now he was glaring down his nose at the youth in front of him, sitting meekly in the most uncomfortable chair that the janitors could find. Behind him, standing at attention with one of her handguns planted squarely against the back of his head, stood Mana Tatsumiya.

Dean Konoe sighed quietly before speaking. "When you arrived here, and chose to settle, I was under the belief you would not cause any trouble for my students," he stated, clearly and simply, making his displeasure known. The fact his holiday had been rudely interrupted for this was in no way influencing his attitude. Oh no.

Luke winced with every word, and nodded silently.

The dean continued to look at him, the boy having lowered his gaze to the floor in shame. Eventually he spoke again.

"With the wanton havoc you have wreaked in my school is unacceptable, despite it being a holiday. There are still mundanes in the campus, and you could easily have exposed magic to them all," sighed the dean, his displeasure giving way to weariness. Though the youth had indeed made a nuisance of himself, it was only to be expected, Hell, in his prime he'd been a hell raiser, and his son...

Well, best not to dwell on the amount of insurance costs he had to pay off for all the chaos HE had caused.

"I am afraid a punishment is necessary. Unfortunately, you are not one of my students, therefore a message has been sent to the Magic world. They will organize a court hearing for you as soon as possible. Until that time you will be incarcerated here under constant supervision – Is there something the matter?" finished Dean Konoe, directing a cold look at the youth.

The blonde in front of him nodded slightly. "Who'll be guarding me and where will I be held?"

A wily one. A perfectly reasonable request from a teenager, however...."You will be taken there shortly. Also, the guard assigned to you is one of the most efficient, so please do not entertain thoughts of escape. It will merely irritate everybody."

Luke's face fell, but he nodded dejectedly. The dean smiled to himself inside. His serious demeanor always b the opposition. One knew that when the jolly old man had that icy glare you did not mess with him. Confident that he had successfully intimidating the troubling teen, dean Konoe nodded at Mana. "You may take him away now."

As the two children left his presence, the man spun his chair around to stare at the window, steepling his fingers in front of himself as he grinned broadly. From Tatsumiya's observations he had calculated the best sort of revenge he could wreak upon the boy.

* * *

The roots of the world tree were silent, as always. The dragon was asleep high above, in the chambers that the man known as Albeiro liked to call home. The mage himself was also dozing gently, using his enormous pet as a pillow, an old tome lying forgotten on his lap, the pages having fallen open on some ancient poetry.

Zegar knelt down gently and picked up the book, his intricate clockwork fingers turning the pages over softly, careful not to damage them. The lens in his monocular eye whirred as he focused on the half faded script, the mechanisms in his throat clicking together as they imitated a humans voice box.

"The beast is in the dark, trapped by light. A black seed that gives birth to a white tree." The talon closed the book and placed it back in the mage's lap, before turning around and walking towards the stairs. Exactly why there were so many similarities between existences eluded him, but then again as the General, the finer details of Fate's machinations were unknown to him. He was not Her scalpel, he was Her sledgehammer.

His metallic claws clicked on the stone steps as he descended into the depths of the world tree. But he still wondered, why it was that holy trees always held some sort of darkness in their roots? One would think that the miasma of evil would show up in the branches or the trunk, but no. Not even Ahriman had been able to affect his prison, let alone a Dahaka. But why did it happen in the first place?

Ahriman being imprisoned beneath the tree of the Ahura made a certain kind of sense, but this...this was beyond even his omniscience. He reached the bottom of the stairs and proceeded to walk along a lone marble catwalk leading to the World Tree core. This whole setup was flashy and dramatic, just the way mortals loved it. To a being who had seen races die before being born, suns going nova and purging all life from entire galaxies, Judgment Day, humanity warring with heaven and hell, such grandiose sights were nothing.

He stopped in front of the core of the World Tree, a softly glowing, pulsating mess of small roots tangled together into the shape of a heart.

_Zzzzzzzz_

Being a spirit of Fate itself, Zegar was familiar with a plethora of emotions, some that even humans were unable to experience. Still what he felt now he decided to call annoyance.

_Nah, just messing with you, you old rusted heap of junk and gears. _

The lens whirred and the roots grew younger by several centuries. There was a hiss of anger.

_Well, that's no way to treat an old friend is it now? _

"Silence void spawn," clicked Zegar, his brass teeth rattling as his jaw moved in time with the words. His red cloak had partially faded, the extreme edges having turned sepia from the proximity to Ezekiel. The Dahaka had always been insufferably but never so childish, Hanging around in that child's mind must have warped him. "Perhaps you would enjoy joining your brothers?"

He could actually see the incorporeal creature make a face, despite its face being only two eyes on what it called a head.

_Those idiots are below me. You have seen what I have done with the boy, what I will do and what I am doing. You know its inevitable. _

Zegar stared at the core. Now the Dahaka was being dramatic with him. He raised a golden talon and prodded it once, eliciting a scream of fury from the trapped beast. "Indeed. I am a Talon, I know what happens. In fact the final act of your little story should be beginning about now."

* * *

"YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! OH DAMN YOU! GODDAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!"

Mana stared at the boy with a raised eyebrow. They were surrounded by an anxious crowd looking at the smoldering building. Well to be appropriate at the smoldering hole in the building, which happened to be where Luke's apartment had been located. The firemen had managed to put out the blaze and where even now rolling up their hoses and packing their equipment away to the three firetrucks located on the street. There was murmuring all around, and the incessant whine of the motors as the tall metal ladder retracted from the building.

"Stop being such a drama king. I'm sure you didn't lose anything you could not be able to replace anyway," said the sniper to the kneeling youth, his arms still raised and clenched into fists.

Abruptly he dropped them and stood up calmly, dusting off his knees. "Indeed. How fortunate I have nowhere to stay and am forced to go with you to the place of holding where you can all keep an eye on me." Luke managed to speak without an accusatory tone, something of an achievement, though he couldn't quite suppress a sly grin at the girl. She did have a point, he hadn't lost anything. Anything at all in fact. He'd made sure to install some little extra features, so everything of value was back where it belonged, in his cloak. He looked at the ruins of his apartment, quietly impressed with the devastation wrought. Probably a ruptured gas pipe or something like that, a miracle he wasn't in when it went up etc etc. The whole thing looked like a kanka blast from Takahata had ploughed through the window and stopped just before reaching the opposite wall.

Actually come to think of it that was probably exactly what had happened. Luke sighed wistfully before turning his attention back to Mana. "So where am I meant to stay until this court of the magical senate decides to try me?"

Mana told him. Luke queried for confirmation. She confirmed. His face fell as he summed up his life up to that moment.

"Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony."


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: Long time no see folks. I've set myself a goal to finish one of my fics at least by Xmas, and chance fell upon this one. Let's see if I can get the insane update schedule going again! _

Chapter Twenty Five: Fated

"Well...that's about it," finished the boy, eyes downcast. He should have known. He should have bloody known that Dean would find a way to get back at him. That interfering, overpowered, deus ex machina of a man couldn't stop himself from meddling in the affairs of others.

Mana had already left him, assured he wouldn't be attempting any escapes. The girl in front of him shook her head, almost as if in resignation.

"According to you, Fate exists. If that's true, then this turn of events shouldn't be too surprising, de gozaru" replied the kunoichi. She of course knew exactly how ironic this situation was, especially for Luke. "So...couch?" she ventured, standing aside and letting the boy into her dorm.

The blonde nodded and stepped past her, his cloak swishing slightly with the movement, and he collapsed gratefully into its cushy embrace. He seemed to bounce on it for a moment before smiling. It was like running into a good friend one hadn't seen in a long time. Without a word he spun about and lay down on the couch, resting his head against his arms as his legs dangled over the side. Luke sighed contentedly.

"Make yourself at home, de gozaru," added Kaede, smiling as Luke colored as he realized his impertinence, springing up from the couch and bowing apologetically. She waved off his apology good humour, indicating he should lie back down. The boy did so dubiously, keeping a single brown eye trained on her. "I suppose this does feel very much like a homecoming for you."

Luke smiled. "Yes I suppose it does. There were some good times here..."

Kaede raised an eyebrow at him, her gaze flickering to the hastily plastered tear in her ceiling where the boy's sword had stabbed into the circuitry of the magnet the twins had installed with Hakase's help. Then her attention turned to the small shelf above the door where the pink dye had been located. None of the inhabitants of the room had bothered removing it after the incident. Of course, there were always the memories of what had happened here in the other time, but that was Luke's business. She just had to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't try to leave the academy until the time of the hearing. Up to that time, she was confident in dealing with the teenager should a need arise. Though he had his own code of honor which he seemed to stick to, which meant she could trust him to a certain degree – trust him to act in a predictable manner of course.

And if he stepped out of line, she'd just let the twins have their way with him. Something he would undoubtedly dread. The ninja smiled as she left the boy to his pondering, deciding to check what was available for dinner.

Luke meanwhile sighed as he stared straight up at the celing. This wouldn't do. Fate had seen he wouldn't be confinced by Her plans, so instead she resorted to taunting him. He could almost hear Darkside gloating.

_See, see where you are? The same can happen as last time, if only you act accordingly..._

He forced the thought from his mind. What had happened had happened, it wouldn't repeat itself. No matter whether he wanted it to or not. His hand strayed into his shirt, rummaging in the inner pocket until he felt his fingers close around something folded. He withdrew his hand, the item discretly held in his palm, where no one would be able to notice it. Luke glanced at it as he gently opened it up, suppressing a chuckle at the fond memories attached to it. It was the photo he had so long ago and yet never taken from Kotaro. The one of him and Kaede. Life in Mahora had been...good, he had to admit. Though such thoughts invariable brought his mind back round to how it had all ended. Clockwork, in his typical deviousness, had rigged the watch to only open under special circumstances – namely, those of intimacy. Only once he had begun to accept the fact that he had no past, and started looking into the future, that the visions, the memories, had started haunting him.

Beautifully ironic, discovering that which you sought all this time was in fact the very thing you sought to escape from. But Clockwork was dead now, as was Ezekyle. Or was it Ezekiel? The thing itself no longer had known the proper pronunciation of its name. He closed his eyes. Of course, it wasn't just Eze..whatever. Lucius and Mina. Muse and Maiden. Seeker. Chaplain. The Corsiars were still alive in this time line. Somewhere in Russia, they were still searching of him, biding their time to strike. Abandoned.

No, Clockwork had abandoned them, not Luke. He was under no obligation to them. None whatsoever...

_Family..._

"What's that de gozaru?" asked his new roommate, plucking the photo from his slack grip. A simple gesture, one she easily accomplished thanks to her training, something he should have suspected. But his mind had wandered, and all the blood drained from his face as she looked at the photo. If he stayed, he was dead. If he tried to flee, he was dead. He had a cloak filled with enough tricks and devices to level Mahora if need be.

The silence continued for a while, Luke refusing to bat an eyelid, feeling perspiration form on his forehead. The photo suddenly dropped onto his chest, and he heard the door shut. Blinking in surprise, he quickly pocketed the item and stared at where Miss Nagase had walked out of the dormitory, for her own unfathomable reasons.

Complication after complication. This was bound to end badly. Luke sat up on the couch and cradled his head in his hands. He prayed for the trial to come quickly. Life as an ermine would be nothing compared to this, he was sure.

* * *

Fate folded up his newspaper, gently reaching forwards and lifting his cup, bringing it close to his face, savoring the rich smell of the tea. He closed his eyes, at peace with himself, letting the sounds of the bustling city all around him fade away, blend together into one simply symphony which gently caressed his senses. The pale boy sipped his drink, nodding to himself as he appreciated the taste. He softly placed the cup back onto its saucer with a silent clink, before looking around, his face an expressionless mask.

People were coming and going, preoccupied with their own little lives. Men, women, children...it made no difference. They were all so ignorant. Of the world, of their own potential. They had such potential, and squandered it on greed and vanity. Fate closed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. He had sent his partners out to enjoy themselves, suitable disguised of course. It was there first time in a mundane city, so it was only fair to let them explore a bit. And if they got into trouble, he was confident in their abilities.

Fate Tertium was not a cold and cruel person as many expected. Life wasn't nearly so black and white. He had taken the girls in after the last war, cared for them and raised them. True he had his own motives, but the fact remained that he had for all intents and purposes, saved those girls' lives and made them into some of the most skilled mages in the world. And he could have easily pulled of all of his schemes on his own or with the aid of mercenaries – it would have been a lot easier in some cases actually. But instead he had his own team, those he had trained. If he had been capable of feeling emotion like a normal human, he would would have admitted to being proud of the girls who essentially passed for his daughters.

He took another sip of his tea. Time was running out. Soon he would strike at the tree, and he would fulfill his purpose. Just as Fate had decreed, this Fate would perform.

* * *

The girl was asleep, resting her head on his shoulder. Idly he plucked at his guitar, the lonely melody echoing around the white chamber. He didn't know what he was playing, it just came to him and his hands manipulated the instrument. The music seemed to float around the pair, soothing them and warding away dark thoughts. The little girl smiled and murmured something, lost in a dream. Her red coat was wrapped tightly around her body, warding off the cold.

He couldn't help but smile at her peaceful face. She was a reminder of everything he had lost. That the three of them had lost. Innocence. The tune he was playing took on a more sorrowful tone, the lights in the chamber dimming as the waves of sound rolled over them. His first kill had been at the age of ten. It was a forced Darwinian exercise. Kill or be killed. They were pitted against the Reavers. He'd found the twins, Zhara and Nikola, first. Or had they found him? He couldn't remember the details. What he did remember was their looks of pains as he played furiously on his guitar, the music tearing apart their hearing, the pounding notes shaking their bones until they began to crack. He had been riding a wave of adrenaline, and lost track of time. He played a full song before stopping, panting heavily. The two girls in front of him had died a long time ago, crumpling to the floor, nothing more than bags of flesh holding in the soup that he had turned their innards into.

A normal person would have felt disgust at their action. He felt disgust at not feeling disgust at his actions. He'd been made well. Just like a fine Saracen sword. Yes, he was the sword, the girl the knife, the dragon the hammer and the other...he had been a katana. Finely made, based on knowledge acquired thanks to the effort that had gone before. A Murasame. Or was it a Masemune? He always got the two mixed up. The music he was forging shifted again, becoming a soothing melody once more, quelling his thoughts. The youth let his head rest on top of the girl's as he continued playing. She hadn't killed yet. He knew she would have to eventually, but out of all of them, she was the closest to leading a normal life. And he would give it to her if he could, his precious little sister.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: There is nothing to say is there? I have been gone too long. I bring this to an end with several more chapters for closure. For those of you still reading, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your criticism has led me to where I am today. Though Luke's adventures may come to an end on this site, his true journey has only just begun. **

Chapter 26: Devil's Advocate 

It was dark, the sun having set a while ago. The Dean of Mahora stared out of his office window, surveying his campus. Despite it being the holidays, he was still busy. Signing off paperwork, approving the arrival of new students, ensuring that all the teachers communicated and actually did their jobs rather than goof off as they tended to do if left to their own devices. It was surprising how similar the teachers were to their students. Just the other day he had had to gently but firmly remind Seruhiko and Gandolfini that they had exams to finish grading, rather than run around the forest hurling spells at each other like a pair of kindergärtners. The two man had the dignity to look sheepish and offer excuses of training, and so he had sent them on their way.

And now this hearing. Those were always a hassle. He remembered the last hearing he had attended, that of some man who used to be called Marvolo Alighieri. His crime had been the conspiracy to reveal elements of the magic world to the mundanes, in the belief that such gradual revelations would ultimately lead to widespread acceptance of magic. An interesting and noble venture, but foolish. A person was smart; people were dumb. As a mass, the collective population of the mundane world would reject the magic world or attempt to exploit it, such was the way of things. That's why even after all this time the two worlds were still separate. Marvolo was exiled, and transformed into a raven for his crime. He never argued or spoke once the ruling was given, silently leaving the room and his humanity.

And now this boy was going to have a full mage court hearing for his...shenanigans. It was a great heap of extra paperwork in addition to the usual forms the Dean would have to fill out before the end of the holiday season. But it would deal with the boy one way or another. The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully. Either he would be turned into an animal and dropped in some forsaken wilderness, or he'd be taken in by the mage court for a full investigation before being assigned a guardian to ensure he did not do anything hazardous again. That could prove to be a problem, but the Dean just could not puzzle out how exactly. Still, he had assigned Takamichi to oversee the proceedings, purely as a precaution.

* * *

"Break's over," said Fate, leaving his empty tea cup behind, depositing some change as he left the cafe, his partners appearing from the crowds thronging the streets. He strode silently through the mass of people, flowing through it like water. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he kept his face down, lost in his thoughts as the girls kept pace. They weren't behind him of course, that would have been far too obvious. But he could make out their forms throughout the crowd. They kept pace with him, yet stayed apart.

Fate almost smiled in pride. They were good at what they did, and now they would prove to Fate that they were worthy of ascending beyond these lives they had been cursed with. All to mold them for this story. For the gods entertainment. Yet even Fate was subject to their whims, so what chance did he have? He could only play out his part and hope for the best. Ahead, the World Tree loomed into sight. It never failed to impress him, a symbol of magic hidden in the mundane world. If things had turned out just slightly differently...

"Let's go," he said quietly, quickening his pace as the ending approached.

* * *

She still hadn't returned. Not that he wanted her to come back. No, that would be awkward and possibly require lots of explanation, shouting, and accusations. Luke cradled his head in his hands, glaring down at the picture Kaede had dropped. It was a better time, a warm time. He had had a home, even a family of sorts. And Fate continued to deny him peace. Oh he knew why of course, he just never wanted to accept it.

Villains never got happy endings. And he was a villain. He had carried Ezekiel, he had been Clockwork. He killed all those people. He was awash in the blood of the fallen, and here he was trying to go on like nothing had happened. Once he sought his past, and know he was unable to escape it. Clinging to chivalry, hoping for redemption. His acts as the Paladin were not enough. He was a child, trying to atone for something that could not be forgiven. Peace was denied to him. Luke felt a tear form beneath his eyelid and slide down his face.

He was a fool, he had still hoped for Nagase to fall for him despite everything. Luke knew he was a psychopath, he'd been designed that way. Darkside never knew that Ezekiel had let him see the tapestry. Though he was not on it anymore, his past was. And looking upon it, all he saw was a vista of torment, one he had reveled in and one he know tried to sweep away as if having never existed. For an epiphany like this to come from just having Nagase see his treasure and discarding it, shattering all his hopes in an instant.

Soft laughter shook the blond youth. He was a villain, villains only ever met a single end in these tales. He stood up, letting his hands fall to his sides as he looked out the window. The World Tree was still visible in the dying light. Fate loved irony and symbolism, She would appreciate this gesture. Luke walked over to the window and opened it, raising his left foot and resting it on the sill. He turned back one last time and surveyed his home...no, Miss Nagase's room. His right arm vanished briefly into his cloak, pulling out a small ring. Slipping it on, Luke sighed and leaned forwards, falling out the window.

"Arise, Paladin!"

* * *

Kaede Nagase stood outside the girls' dormitory. She was leaning against the wall and looking at the night sky. Her emotions were as always unreadable, masked by the stoic mask of the ninja. _So Luke's greatest secret...was me? _She didn't know whether to feel flattered, guilty, or outraged. Flattered for being essentially idolized, guilty for teasing Luke the way she had, or outraged at his apparent attempts to recreate or escape his past.

She turned the matter over in her head, probing her own feelings. Luke was still a stranger to her. Knowing that he liked her to such an extent was pleasing to know. The girls in glass often gossiped about who liked who, and she had to admit, knowing one was idolized was an empowering feeling. But whatever they had shared in Luke's first timeline...wouldn't be recreated here, and she had constantly teased him with that since they met. That must have tortured the youth even if he himself didn't realize it. And yet no one could recreate the past, that is why it was the past. All that was left was the future. Had Luke tried to be with her again...she didn't know what she would have done. Instead he seemed content to sit back and hope things turned out the way they had the first time. If he had taken action then...then...

Well she had no idea what would have happened then. The tall girl shook hear head to clear the mess of thoughts. This over-thinking wasn't like her at all. She was a woman of action, though she did look before leaping. And something this simple was confusing her. Perhaps the simple solution would be best: confront Luke and extract from him what exactly he felt about her, what he hoped to achieve, and from there develop some sort of...something.

And then she heard the whispered command above her. Kaede glanced up only to see the falling form of Luke glow for a moment before being shrouded in golden armour, with a set of gold wings emerging from his back. All obviously mechanical, but still the site alone stunned her momentarily before the blast of engines had him rocket away towards the World Tree. It seemed he had chosen to run now, when she was confused by the strange picture she had discovered. The one where she seemed at peace and content.

Yet all she felt now was anger at the stupid boy who kept complicating things for himself. With a resigned sigh she gave chase, her ninja skills allowing her to keep site of the gold blur as it headed for the great Tree.

* * *

_Darkness. At the heart of everything there was darkness. Hoarding, hiding. Malignant. All action stems from darkness, and all action results in it. It dwells in every heart, in every thought. Darkness is the one common factor of existence. Neither time nor space could confine it, that endless well of midnight. Care stemmed from greed. Strength from fear. Justice came from anger whilst purity was born of hate. Light was but a mask one adopted to avoid the truth of their own actions, a blinding light to eclipse the ever-present darkness. Time ran on and was ground down into darkness. When today fades into yesterday, that is where the Dahaka lived._

_Light. Merely by existing does darkness spawn it's most hated rival. Proud, jubilant, public. All light stems from darkness, and all darkness results in it. Within every hope, every soul, there is a shard of light. Though rarer than darkness, light is everywhere. Harder to grasp, harder to find. It is the treasure of eternity, a gift from Fate to those who who struggled against her. The show of the gods could sometimes be cruel and harsh, but the players who persevered were always rewarded in the end. Though it was never the prize they sought._

Zegar unclenched his fist as he stared at Ezekiel. "Your Knight approaches."

_I know. _

"You realize what it means?"

_I accept it. I exist for that single moment in time. _

"As do we all."

_Maybe there will be another story?_

"Only the gods know that."

_I am weary of this one. _

"As are we all."

_But I don't want to fade away._

"No one does, old friend."

_...can we challenge the gods?_

"No one can, old friend. We can only settle in their hearts and minds, and hope they ask us for another performance."

_We have dwelt in Mahora too long._

"Indeed we have. Maybe if there is another tale spun, we will be crafted anew. Maybe we will be the same as we have ever been."

_A soul is always marked by it's experiences._

"That boy will never have a home. He is a wanderer, seeking somewhere to belong."

_He will never accept this tale as his home, will he?_

"Never. But he will always remember it as his birthplace."


End file.
